Spring 2027, Summer 2027

Optical & Photonics Engineering Intern/Co-op

Posted on 9/11/2026

Deadline 9/11/27
AMD

AMD

10,001+ employees

Designs and sells processors, GPUs, accelerators

No salary listed

No H1B Sponsorship

San Jose, CA, USA + 1 more

More locations: Santa Clara, CA, USA

Hybrid

Hybrid or on-site work is required throughout the internship or co-op term.

PhD

Category
Hardware Engineering (1)
Required Skills
Python
Computer Networking
MATLAB
Data Analysis

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Requirements
  • Currently pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Photonics, Applied Physics, Optoelectronics, Physics, Optical Communications, or a related technical field.
  • Experience, coursework, or research in silicon photonics and photonic integrated circuits; optical communications and optical transceivers; high-speed digital communications and SerDes technologies; signal integrity and high-speed electrical interconnects; analog and mixed-signal circuit design; optical device characterization and testing; or fiber-optic networking technologies.
  • Experience with engineering simulation, modeling, laboratory testing, or data analysis techniques.
  • Familiarity with Python, MATLAB, or similar programming languages for technical computing, automation, or data analysis.
  • Familiarity with optical and electrical test equipment such as oscilloscopes, network analyzers, optical spectrum analyzers, tunable lasers, BER testers, or similar laboratory instrumentation.
  • Interest in advancing optical, photonic, and high-speed interconnect technologies for next-generation computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Responsibilities
  • Support the design, simulation, validation, and characterization of photonic integrated circuits, optical transceivers, optical subsystems, and high-speed interconnect technologies.
  • Contribute to laboratory testing and performance analysis of optical and electrical systems using industry-standard measurement techniques and instrumentation.
  • Perform data collection, automation, modeling, and analysis activities that help improve design performance, product qualification, and engineering efficiency.
  • Work on photonic device characterization, optical communications, signal integrity analysis, mixed-signal technologies, or next-generation networking solutions, depending on project assignments.
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams including photonics, electrical, systems, packaging, and validation engineers to solve technical challenges.
  • Document findings, present results, and contribute to technical reports that support technology development and product innovation.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience, coursework, or research in silicon photonics and photonic integrated circuits; optical communications and optical transceivers; high-speed digital communications and SerDes technologies; signal integrity and high-speed electrical interconnects; analog and mixed-signal circuit design; optical device characterization and testing; or fiber-optic networking technologies.
  • Exposure to photonic design, simulation, characterization, or semiconductor technologies.
  • Familiarity with optical and electrical test equipment such as oscilloscopes, network analyzers, optical spectrum analyzers, tunable lasers, BER testers, or similar laboratory instrumentation.

AMD is a semiconductor company that designs and sells processors, graphics cards, and accelerators for a range of customers, including data centers, AI developers, and enterprises. Its products include Ryzen CPUs for desktops, EPYC CPUs for data centers, and Radeon GPUs for gaming and professional visualization. AMD also offers the ROCm software stack and Instinct accelerators to boost AI and machine learning performance. The company earns revenue from hardware sales, technology licensing, and software that optimizes hardware performance. AMD differentiates itself through a broad portfolio that combines high-performance CPUs, GPUs, and AI accelerators, along with software ecosystems that optimize compute workloads. Its goal is to provide scalable, efficient computing power for gaming, data centers, and AI workloads while pursuing responsible corporate practices.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Santa Clara, California

Founded

1969

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • AMD's Q2 2026 revenue reached $11.54 billion, up 50% year over year.
  • Data Center sales hit $6.72 billion in Q2 2026, more than doubled.
  • Anthropic's first gigawatt starts in first half 2027, validating MI450 demand.

What critics are saying

  • AMD booked $440 million China export-control charges in Q2 2026.
  • Broadcom's July 2026 custom-chip push threatens AMD's merchant GPU model.
  • If Google, Meta, and OpenAI standardize on custom ASICs, AMD loses AI relevance by 2028.

What makes AMD unique

  • AMD's July 22, 2026 Anthropic deal pairs MI450 GPUs with Helios rack-scale systems.
  • AMD's August 31, 2026 Saudi JV gives sovereign AI customers local infrastructure.
  • Zen 6 Venice on TSMC 2nm makes AMD first HPC server chip there.

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Benefits

Hybrid Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

1%

1 year growth

3%

2 year growth

-2%
Yahoo Finance
Sep 8th, 2026
AMD surges 6.7% as Amazon signals $60B AI chip deal with Qualcomm

Advanced Micro Devices rallied approximately 6.7% to $509.635 on Tuesday as investors bet on surging demand for AI computing infrastructure. The chip designer's second-quarter revenue soared 50% to $11.54 billion, with data-centre sales more than doubling to $6.7 billion. The data-centre division now generates roughly 58% of AMD's total revenue. AMD's stock price stands 82.57% above its $279.15 GF Value, indicating investors are paying a premium for AI-fueled growth. Separately, Qualcomm said Amazon could purchase as much as $60 billion of AI data-centre products through a long-term collaboration. Qualcomm is targeting $15 billion in annual data-centre revenue by 2029.

Yahoo Finance
Sep 7th, 2026
AMD's data centre revenue doubles to $6.72B, yet shares fall 5% on margin concerns and China export charges

AMD reported strong Q2 results with Data Centre revenue more than doubling year-over-year to $6.72 billion and Q3 guidance of roughly $13 billion. Despite this, shares fell approximately 5% due to concerns over product-mix margin pressure and $440 million in charges from China export controls on Instinct MI308 shipments. Gaming revenue declined 31% year-over-year to $779 million. The company's non-GAAP gross margin expanded to 56%, though Data Centre AI products carry margins slightly below the corporate average. Analyst consensus remains bullish, with 41 buy ratings versus 10 hold ratings and zero sell recommendations. The consensus price target stands at $613.84, implying significant upside from current levels. AMD shares are up 113.42% year to date but have traded sideways recently as investors await proof of volume production ramps.

Yahoo Finance
Sep 7th, 2026
Broadcom's $17B AI chip revenue dwarfs AMD's $7B, threatening GPU dominance

AMD's data centre revenue doubled to $7 billion, but Broadcom's AI semiconductor revenue reached $17 billion, growing 221% year-over-year. The scale gap highlights a structural threat to AMD's merchant GPU strategy. Three of AMD's major customers — OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta — are simultaneously developing custom accelerators with Broadcom. Broadcom claims its co-developed chips outperform GPUs at half the cost, potentially shrinking AMD's addressable market. Broadcom generated $14 billion in free cash flow last quarter and recently announced its 15th consecutive dividend increase. AMD's operating margin stands at 27% compared to Broadcom's 68%. The competitive dynamic centres on AMD's general-purpose Instinct GPUs versus Broadcom's custom silicon approach. If frontier AI labs shift to proprietary chips, AMD's growth assumptions for its $1.4 trillion 2030 total addressable market may need revision.

Yahoo Finance
Sep 7th, 2026
AMD and Intel surge 4%+ as investors widen AI trade beyond Nvidia

AMD gained 4.7% and Intel rose 4.5% on 4 September, while Nvidia added only 0.8%. The single-session divergence suggests investors may be broadening AI exposure beyond Nvidia, though it cannot confirm lasting rotation. AMD's second-quarter revenue hit a record $11.5 billion, up 50% year-over-year, with Data Centre representing 58% of the company. Its portfolio includes MI450 accelerators and sixth-generation EPYC processors. Insider Monkey's database counted 164 hedge funds holding AMD in Q2 2026, up from 134 in Q1. Intel's second-quarter Data Centre and AI revenue was $6.3 billion, up 59% year-over-year. However, negative $8.4 billion adjusted free cash flow raises capital efficiency concerns. The database counted 138 hedge funds holding Intel in Q2 2026, up from 112 in Q1.

Yahoo Finance
Sep 7th, 2026
AMD data center segment to surpass 70% of revenue in 2027, up from 58% last quarter

AMD's data centre segment is on track to surpass 70% of the company's total revenue by 2027, driven by a substantial growth gap between business units. In Q2 2025, data centre products generated 58% of AMD's record $11.5 billion revenue, up from 42% the previous quarter. The data centre division, which includes EPYC server processors and Instinct GPUs for AI computing, grew 107% year-over-year to $6.7 billion. Meanwhile, AMD's other divisions—client processors, gaming chips, and embedded products—grew just 8% combined to $4.8 billion. Management expects data centre sales to accelerate in the second half of the year. If current growth rates continue, with data centre moderating to 90% growth and other segments maintaining 8% growth, the data centre segment would reach approximately $12.8 billion by Q2 2027, representing 71% of total revenue.