1

Autonomous Systems Internship Jobs in California

The Role Mach's Fall 2026 Engineering Internship is open for future engineers and builders who want ... Autonomous systems -- guidance, control, and navigation software for unmanned platforms * Embedded ...

Fall Engineering Intern

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$18 - $23.50/hr

Personal or academic projects in robotics, autonomous systems, or marine/aerospace engineering. * Experience with hands-on prototyping, shop tools, or lab equipment. * Prior internship or co-op ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

Autonomous Systems Internship information

What is an autonomous systems internship?

An Autonomous Systems Internship is a temporary position for students or recent graduates to gain hands-on experience working with technologies such as robotics, self-driving vehicles, drones, and artificial intelligence. Interns typically assist in designing, developing, and testing autonomous systems under the guidance of experienced engineers or researchers. These internships provide exposure to real-world applications of autonomous technology and often require knowledge of programming, machine learning, or control systems. The goal is to help interns build practical skills, expand their professional network, and prepare for a career in the field of autonomous systems.

What types of projects do interns typically work on during an autonomous systems internship?

During an Autonomous Systems Internship, interns often participate in hands-on projects involving robotics, machine learning, sensor integration, or simulation environments. They may assist with developing algorithms for navigation, collaborating on system testing, or supporting data analysis for autonomous vehicles or drones. Interns usually work closely with multidisciplinary teams, gaining exposure to both hardware and software aspects of autonomous systems. This collaborative environment helps interns build practical skills and network with experienced professionals in the field.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an autonomous systems intern?

To thrive as an Autonomous Systems Intern, you generally need a solid background in computer science, robotics, or engineering, with coursework or experience in algorithms, control systems, and machine learning. Familiarity with programming languages such as Python or C++, simulation tools like ROS (Robot Operating System), and version control systems (e.g., Git) is typically expected. Strong problem-solving abilities, teamwork, and effective communication are important soft skills for collaborating on complex technical projects. These skills and qualifications enable interns to contribute meaningfully to the development and testing of autonomous technologies in a fast-evolving field.

What is the difference between Autonomous Systems Internship vs Robotics Engineering Internship?

AspectAutonomous Systems InternshipRobotics Engineering Internship
Required CredentialsRelevant coursework, technical skills in AI, machine learning, and systems integrationEngineering background, robotics courses, programming skills in C++, Python
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, tech companies, autonomous vehicle firmsManufacturing plants, research labs, robotics companies
Employer & Industry UsageAutonomous vehicle developers, AI firms, transportation techRobotics firms, industrial automation, manufacturing

Autonomous Systems Internships focus on developing and testing autonomous technologies like self-driving cars, requiring skills in AI and systems integration. Robotics Engineering Internships emphasize designing and building robotic systems, often involving mechanical and electrical engineering. Both roles are industry-relevant and share overlapping skills but differ in their specific focus areas and work environments.

What cities in California are hiring for Autonomous Systems Internship jobs?

Cities in California with the most Autonomous Systems Internship job openings:

NVIDIA 2027 Internships: Ph.D. Research Autonomous Vehicles

Nvidia Corporation

Santa Clara, CA • On-site

Full-time

Posted 4 days ago


Nvidia rating

9.6

Company rating: 9.6 out of 10

Based on 17 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

7th of 246 rated software companies


Job description

By submitting your resume, you acknowledge that your Ph.D. Research Autonomous Vehicles internship application will be processed in accordance with NVIDIA's Applicant Privacy Policy and you agree to our Terms of Service. We'll review resumes on an ongoing basis, and a recruiter may reach out if your experience fits one of our many internship opportunities.
NVIDIA pioneered accelerated computing to tackle challenges no one else can solve. Our work in AI and digital twins is transforming the world's largest industries and profoundly impacting society - from gaming to robotics, self-driving cars to life-saving healthcare, climate change to virtual worlds where we can all connect and create.
Our internships offer an excellent opportunity to expand your career and get hands on experience with one of our industry leading Autonomous Vehicles teams. We're seeking strategic, ambitious, hard-working, and creative individuals who are passionate about helping us tackle challenges no one else can solve.
Learn more about Research at NVIDIA.
What you will be doing:
  • Design and implement cutting-edge techniques in the field of vehicle autonomy.
  • Collaborate with other team members, teams, and/or external researchers.
  • Transfer your research to product groups to enable new products or types of products. Deliverable results include prototypes, patents, products, and/or publishing original research.

What we need to see:
  • Must be actively enrolled in a university pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, for the full duration of the internship; anticipated graduation date (month and year) must be clearly indicated on a resume or CV to be considered.
  • Depending on the internship, prior experience or knowledge requirements could include the following programming skills and technologies:

Python, C++, CUDA, Deep Learning Frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.)
  • Strong background in research with publications at top conferences.
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
  • Experience with large-scale model training is a plus.

Potential internships require research experience in at least one of the following areas:
  • Next-Generation AV Architectures

Chain-of-Thought Reasoning
Mixture-of-Experts
Diffusion-LLMs
Diffusion-based Trajectory Decoding
  • Novel Policy Training Strategies

Closed-loop Training
Off-policy RL
Online RL
Enforcing Consistency
  • Foundation and Multimodal Models

Vision-language models
Multimodal reasoning
Spatial Multimodal Models
Modality Alignment
Model Scaling
Synthetic data
  • Inference Efficiency

Inference Optimizations (e.g., parallel decoding, speculative decoding)
Token Representations
Model Distillation
  • Simulation and Behavior Modeling

Digital Twins
Scenario Generation
World Models
Behavior/Traffic Modeling
  • End-to-End AV Systems

Mapless driving
World Representations
Beyond imitation learning
Safety-aware end-to-end models
  • Perception and Representation Learning

Multi-modal sensor fusion
2D/3D detection, segmentation, depth estimation, scene understanding, neural representations
  • Safe and Trustworthy Autonomous Systems

Principled robustness
Model explainability
Control Barrier Functions (CBFs)
Verification and Validation of Safety-Critical AI Systems
Trustworthy AI/ML for autonomy and robotics
  • Data-Strategies for AI
  • Benchmarking AV

Click hereto learn more about NVIDIA, our early talent programs, benefits offered to students and other helpful student resources related to our latest technologies and endeavors.
Our internship hourly rates are a standard pay based on the position, your location, year in school, degree, and experience. The hourly rate for our interns is 38 USD - 94 USD.
You will also be eligible for Intern benefits.
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
This posting is for an existing vacancy.
NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.
NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.

What Nvidia employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom


Nvidia logo

About Nvidia

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

NVIDIA has been transforming computer graphics, PC gaming, and accelerated computing for more than 25 years. It's a unique legacy of innovation that's fueled by great technology--and amazing people. Today, we're tapping into the unlimited potential of AI to define the next era of computing. An era in which our GPU acts as the brains of computers, robots, and self-driving cars that can understand the world. Doing what's never been done before takes vision, innovation, and the world's best talent.

Industry

Computer and electronic product manufacturing

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Santa Clara, CA, US

Year founded

1993