Data Center AI Platform Firmware Engineer, Senior to Staff

Company:

Qualcomm Semiconductor Limited

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering

General Summary:

OVERVIEW

We are seeking a highly motivated Firmware Engineer to design, develop, debug, and validate low-level system software for next-generation AI rack, server,. This role bridges the gap between silicon, hardware platforms, and operating systems, enabling successful bring-up and deployment of complex ARM-based systems.

The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in ARM architecture, boot firmware, platform initialization, hardware bring-up, and system debugging, working closely with silicon, hardware, validation, and software teams across the entire product lifecycle.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Platform Firmware Development

• Design, develop, and maintain low-level firmware for ARM-based SoCs, servers, and accelerator platforms.
• Implement and optimize firmware components including:
  • Bootloaders (UEFI, EDK2, U-Boot)
  • DDR initialization and training
  • Security and Root-of-Trust features
  • Power management and thermal control
  • RAS (Reliability, Availability, Serviceability)
  • Platform monitoring and telemetry
• Develop firmware drivers for platform peripherals, sensors, GPIO, I2C, SPI, UART, PCIe, USB, Ethernet, and storage devices.

System Architecture

• Develop firmware solutions based on ARM architecture and standards.
• Participate in design and review of:
  • ARM Trusted Firmware (ATF/TF-A)
  • Secure Boot implementation
  • PSCI
  • ACPI
  • SMBIOS
  • Device Tree (FDT)
  • Exception handling and interrupt management (GIC)
• Optimize ARM firmware execution path for performance, reliability, and power efficiency.

Hardware Bring-Up & Validation

• Lead early silicon and board bring-up activities.
• Debug power-on failures and boot issues from first power application through OS loading.
• Work closely with hardware teams to:
  • Validate platform functionality
  • Analyze hardware/software interactions
  • Resolve timing, power, and initialization issues
• Develop validation plans and automate firmware test execution.

System Debugging & Root Cause Analysis

• Investigate complex firmware, hardware, and system-level failures.
• Analyze:
  • Boot failures
  • Memory initialization issues
  • PCIe enumeration problems
  • Security authentication failures
  • Performance bottlenecks
• Utilize JTAG, trace tools, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, crash dumps, and firmware logs for root-cause debugging.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with:
  • Silicon architecture teams
  • ASIC design engineers
  • Board design teams
  • BIOS and BMC developers
  • Linux kernel developers
  • Validation and manufacturing teams
• Drive issue resolution across global engineering organizations and ODM/JDM partners.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

BS/MS degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.

Technical Experience

• 10+ years of firmware or embedded software development experience.
• Expert-level proficiency in C programming.
• Strong understanding of computer architecture and hardware fundamentals.
• Experience with ARM Cortex-A, Neoverse, or custom ARM server-class processors.
• Strong knowledge of:
  • ARMv8/ARMv9 architecture
  • Memory management
  • MMU
  • Cache coherency
  • Interrupt architecture
  • Multi-core systems

Firmware Expertise

• Proven experience developing or debugging:
  • ARM Trusted Firmware (TF-A)
  • UEFI / EDK2
  • U-Boot
  • Secure Boot implementations
  • Trusted Execution Environment (TEE)
• Experience with ARM PSCI, GIC, SMMU, and Device Tree.
• Deep understanding of ARM server boot flow from ROM through OS handoff.

Platform Interfaces

Hands-on experience with:

• PCIe Gen4/Gen5/Gen6
• DDR4/DDR5/HBM memory subsystems
• I2C / SPI / UART
• SMBus
• BMC interfaces
• Ethernet Controllers
• NVMe and storage devices

Debug Skills

Experience using:

• JTAG debuggers
• Lauterbach
• Arm DS
• GDB
• Firmware trace infrastructure
• Hardware diagnostic equipment

Software Tools

• Git
• CI/CD environments
• Build systems
• Linux development environment
• Scripting languages such as Python, Bash, or Perl

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Data Center & AI Systems

• Experience with AI accelerators, GPUs, or high-performance computing platforms.
• Familiarity with server platform architecture and hyperscale data center systems.
• Knowledge of CXL, PCIe fabric architectures, and coherent interconnect technologies.

Security

Experience implementing:

• ARM TrustZone
• Secure Boot
• Measured Boot
• Firmware authentication
• TPM integration
• Firmware update frameworks

Open Source Contributions

Contributions to:

• U-Boot
• EDK2
• Linux Kernel
• ARM Trusted Firmware

Manufacturing & Production Support

• Experience supporting EVT, DVT, PVT, and production ramp.
• Experience working with ODM and JDM partners.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 3+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.

• 2+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.

Applicants: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail disability-accomodations@qualcomm.com or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here. Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. (Keep in mind that this email address is used to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. We will not respond here to requests for updates on applications or resume inquiries).

Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.

To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies:Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.

If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers.