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Firmware Intern Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Job Summary In our firmware role, you will help develop firmware for our chips, designed to run large AI models efficiently. You'll work across the stack-from low-level drivers, hardware interfaces ...

Job Summary In our firmware role, you will help develop firmware for our chips, designed to run large AI models efficiently. You'll work across the stack--from low-level drivers, hardware interfaces ...

Firmware Intern [Fall 2026]

San Jose, CA ยท On-site

$40 - $45/hr

We are looking for a Firmware Engineer Intern to join us during Fall 2026. In this role, you will help bring our robots to life by supporting board bring-up, developing and validating new firmware ...

Firmware Intern [Fall 2026]

San Jose, CA ยท On-site

$40 - $45/hr

We are looking for a Firmware Engineer Intern to join us during Fall 2026. In this role, you will help bring our robots to life by supporting board bring-up, developing and validating new firmware ...

About the Role We are seeking a motivated Firmware Engineering Intern to support embedded systems and firmware development efforts for MK14 daughter board platforms in a collaborative engineering ...

Validation Engineering Intern [Fall 2026]

San Jose, CA ยท On-site

$19.75 - $25.50/hr

We are looking for a Validation Engineering Intern for Fall 2026 to support the design, automation ... Contribute to the development of a CI/CD pipeline for hardware/firmware/software integration.

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Firmware Intern information

See California salary details

$7

$37

$80

How much do firmware intern jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 8, 2026, the average hourly pay for firmware intern in California is $37.38, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $15.06 and $56.73 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a firmware intern, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Firmware Intern, you need a solid understanding of embedded systems, programming languages like C/C++, and a background in computer or electrical engineering. Familiarity with development environments such as Keil, IAR, or Eclipse, as well as experience using version control systems like Git, is often expected. Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving ability, and effective communication skills help you collaborate with hardware and software teams. These skills ensure you can efficiently contribute to firmware development, debug issues, and support project goals in a technical environment.

Are firmware interns in demand?

Firmware intern positions are in demand as companies seek skilled individuals to assist with embedded systems, IoT devices, and hardware development. Candidates with knowledge of C/C++, debugging tools, and experience with microcontrollers are particularly sought after, especially in technology and manufacturing sectors.

What does a firmware intern do?

A Firmware Intern assists in developing and testing low-level software that controls hardware devices, such as microcontrollers or embedded systems. Their responsibilities typically include writing code in languages like C or C++, debugging software, and working closely with hardware engineers to ensure seamless integration between software and hardware. They may also help with documentation and test procedures, gaining hands-on experience in the embedded systems field. This internship is a valuable opportunity to learn about the intersection of software and hardware in real-world applications.

What is the difference between Firmware Intern vs Firmware Engineer?

AspectFirmware InternFirmware Engineer
Required CredentialsTypically pursuing or recent graduate in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related fieldsBachelor's or Master's degree in similar fields, with relevant experience or certifications
Work EnvironmentInternship programs, entry-level projects, supervised tasksFull-time role, responsible for designing, developing, and testing firmware
Employer & Industry UsageTech companies, startups, hardware manufacturersSame as intern, but with more responsibility and independence

The main difference between a Firmware Intern and a Firmware Engineer lies in experience, responsibility, and scope of work. Interns are typically students or recent graduates gaining hands-on experience, while engineers are full-time professionals responsible for firmware development and maintenance.

What are the most commonly searched types of Firmware jobs in California? The most popular types of Firmware jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Firmware Intern jobs in California? For Firmware Intern jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What cities in California are hiring for Firmware Intern jobs? Cities in California with the most Firmware Intern job openings:
Infographic showing various Firmware Intern job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 17% Internship, 1% As Needed, 52% Full Time, 27% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $77,754 per year, or $37.4 per hour.

Firmware Intern

Etched

San Jose, CA โ€ข On-site

Internship

Re-posted 2 days ago


Job description

About Etched
Etched is building hardware for frontier intelligence. We co-design chips, racks, software, and manufacturing to deliver best-in-class throughput and latency across both prefill and decode workloads. Our first products are heavily focused on inference. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.
Job Summary
In our firmware role, you will help develop firmware for our chips, designed to run large AI models efficiently. You'll work across the stack-from low-level drivers, hardware interfaces, and system initialization code to integration with runtime libraries and model-execution frameworks. Your work will focus on making the hardware operate reliably and at peak performance, enabling high-throughput inference and training workloads. You'll collaborate with hardware, architecture, and software teams to bring up new silicon, validate features, and support real-world AI applications. We are looking for Summer '26, Fall '26, Spring '27, and Summer '27 interns.
You may be a good fit if you have
  • Progress towards a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
  • Proficiency in C/C++ or Rust
  • Strong fundamentals in data structures and algorithms
  • Strong understanding of low-level software engineering
  • Strong understanding of hardware/software co-design
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills

Strong candidates may also have (Nice to have qualifications)
  • Experience with Linux internals, kernel development, or driver debugging
  • Experience with hardware diagnostics or interpreting hardware logs
  • Exposure to server virtualization or CI/CD pipelines
  • Experience with Rust or embedded development

We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification.
Program details
  • 12-week paid internship
  • Generous housing support for those relocating
  • Daily lunch and dinner in our office
  • Based at our office in San Jose, CA
  • Direct mentorship from industry leaders and world-class engineers
  • Opportunity to work on one of the most important problems of our time

For any questions, contact internships@etched.com
How we're different
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We are the first inference-focused frontier AI system, betting early on transformer and transformer-like architectures and on increasing model sizes. Our addressable market is the entirety of inference, unlike many of our competitors.
We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both and work across disciplines as needed.