Embedded & Firmware Engineer
Engineers in this role develop and optimize firmware that powers AI infrastructure hardware—from baseboard management controllers in data centers to motor controllers in robotics systems to camera sensor drivers in vision platforms. They work at the boundary between silicon and software, writing low-level C/C++ code to manage power, thermal systems, sensors, and real-time control, often using RTOS environments and debugging with JTAG and oscilloscopes. This work distinguishes itself from higher-level embedded software engineering by its focus on board bring-up, hardware validation, and tight hardware-firmware integration during product bringup. These engineers typically sit in hardware-adjacent teams within AI companies—working closely with silicon teams, hardware engineers, and systems architects to ensure new AI chips and platforms function reliably at scale in production environments.
Skills
What companies are looking for in this role.
Developing embedded firmware for microcontroller and system-on-chip platforms
Developing device drivers for sensors, peripherals, and communication interfaces
Debugging complex hardware-software interactions using test and diagnostic tools
Writing low-level hardware abstraction layers and board support packages
Designing and implementing real-time operating system configuration and task scheduling
Performing board bring-up and hardware validation activities
Integrating and optimizing communication protocols and bus interfaces
Building and maintaining continuous integration and deployment pipelines for firmware
Optimizing power consumption and thermal performance in resource-constrained systems
Developing comprehensive firmware test suites and validation frameworks
Designing and maintaining over-the-air update infrastructure and deployment pipelines
Optimizing interrupt service routines and direct memory access paths for minimal latency
Implementing secure boot, firmware attestation, and secure update mechanisms
Implementing safety-critical mechanisms and fault-response behaviors
Developing real-time synchronization and deterministic communication protocols
Implementing motor control algorithms including PID loops and field-oriented control
Developing subsystem models and simulators for hardware-in-the-loop testing
Designing telemetry, monitoring, and observability infrastructure for fleet management
Integrating machine learning model inference within firmware constraints
Collaborating with cross-functional teams including hardware and systems engineers
Documenting firmware architecture, design decisions, and technical specifications
Reviewing code and providing technical guidance to junior engineers
Technology
The tools and technologies that define this role.
Open Jobs
65 open Embedded & Firmware Engineer jobs across 19 companies.
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