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Internship Kernel Developer Jobs in Santa Clara, CA

MIBURA, INC.

Junior Software Engineer

Mountain View, CA · On-site

... internships, projects, or open-source contributions that demonstrate strong software engineering ... kernel, filesystem) and Linux. Company : MIBURA, Inc. is a cloud and global data center solutions ...

Etched

Infrastructure Intern

San Jose, CA · On-site

... engineers love using. We are looking for Summer '26, Fall '26, Spring '27, and Summer '27 interns ... Experience with Linux internals, kernel development, or driver debugging * Experience with hardware ...

Amazon

SDE - Embedded Networking, Amazon Leo

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

$154K - $203K/yr

The candidate should be familiar with and have demonstrated experience in kernel programming and/or ... BASIC QUALIFICATIONS - 3+ years of non-internship professional software development experience - 2+ ...

Etched

Infrastructure Intern

San Jose, CA · On-site

... engineers love using. We are looking for Summer '26, Fall '26, Spring '27, and Summer '27 interns ... Experience with Linux internals, kernel development, or driver debugging * Experience with hardware ...

Etched

Chip Simulation Software Intern

San Jose, CA · On-site

Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is ... We are looking for Fall '26, Spring '27, and Summer '27 interns. You may be a good fit if you have

Etched

Chip Simulation Software Intern

San Jose, CA · On-site

Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is ... We are looking for Fall '26, Spring '27, and Summer '27 interns. You may be a good fit if you have

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All JobsKernel Developer JobsInternship Kernel Developer JobsInternship Kernel Developer Jobs in Santa Clara, CA

Internship Kernel Developer information

See Santa Clara, CA salary details

$13

$26

$46

How much do internship kernel developer jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 21, 2026, the average hourly pay for internship kernel developer in Santa Clara, CA is $26.89, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $21.73 and $28.51 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an internship kernel developer?

Internship Kernel Developers are students or entry-level professionals who work on the core components of an operating system, known as the kernel, during an internship. Their responsibilities often include debugging, writing, and optimizing low-level code that communicates directly with hardware. These internships are typically offered by companies or organizations involved in operating system development, and they provide hands-on experience with system programming, device drivers, and kernel modules. This role is valuable for those looking to build a career in systems software, embedded systems, or operating system development.

What does an internship kernel developer do?

As an Internship Kernel Developer, you will typically assist with tasks such as debugging kernel modules, developing or improving device drivers, and contributing to the implementation of new kernel features. You may also be involved in writing and reviewing code patches, participating in code reviews, and collaborating with senior developers on performance optimization. Interns often work closely with other software engineers and may interact with hardware teams to ensure kernel compatibility and stability. This hands-on experience is invaluable for understanding low-level system operations and can serve as a foundation for advanced roles in systems programming.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an internship kernel developer?

To thrive as an Internship Kernel Developer, you need a solid understanding of operating systems, C programming, and computer architecture, often supported by coursework or projects in systems programming. Familiarity with version control systems like Git, Linux kernel development tools, and debugging utilities is typically required. Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn from feedback distinguish successful candidates. These skills ensure you can contribute effectively to kernel development tasks, quickly adapt to complex system environments, and collaborate with experienced engineers.

What is the difference between Internship Kernel Developer vs Software Engineer Intern?

AspectInternship Kernel DeveloperSoftware Engineer Intern
Required CredentialsBasic programming skills, understanding of OS concepts, possibly some coursework in computer scienceSimilar; often includes programming, data structures, and software development fundamentals
Work EnvironmentHands-on kernel development, low-level programming, working closely with OS componentsApplication development, testing, and debugging in various software projects
Industry UsagePrimarily in OS, hardware, and systems software companiesAcross tech, finance, startups, and software firms

Internship Kernel Developer roles focus on low-level OS and kernel programming, requiring knowledge of system internals. Software Engineer Intern positions are broader, covering application-level development. Both roles are valuable entry points but differ in technical depth and focus area.

What are the most commonly searched types of Kernel Developer jobs in Santa Clara, CA?

The most popular types of Kernel Developer jobs in Santa Clara, CA are:

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For Internship Kernel Developer jobs in Santa Clara, CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Internship Kernel Developer jobs in Santa Clara, CA look for?

The top searched job categories for Internship Kernel Developer jobs in Santa Clara, CA are:

What cities near Santa Clara, CA are hiring for Internship Kernel Developer jobs?

Cities near Santa Clara, CA with the most Internship Kernel Developer job openings:

Internship Kernel Developer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Internship Kernel Developer job openings in Santa Clara, CA as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 64% Internship, and 36% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $55,928 per year, or $26.9 per hour.

Systems Verification & Concurrent Kernel Architecture Research Intern

NIO

San Jose, CA • On-site

$38 - $46/hr

Full-time

Re-posted 21 days ago

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION
About NIO
NIO is a pioneer and a leading company in the premium smart electric vehicle market. Founded in November 2014, NIO's mission is to shape a joyful lifestyle. NIO aims to build a community starting with smart electric vehicles to share joy and grow together with users.
NIO designs, develops, jointly manufactures and sells premium smart electric vehicles, driving innovations in next-generation technologies in autonomous driving, digital technologies, electric powertrains and batteries. NIO differentiates itself through its continuous technological breakthroughs and innovations, such as its industry-leading battery swapping technologies, Battery as a Service, or BaaS, as well as its proprietary autonomous driving technologies and Autonomous Driving as a Service, or ADaaS.
NIO's product portfolio consists of the ES8, a six-seater smart electric flagship SUV, the ES7 (or the EL7), a mid-large five-seater smart electric SUV, the ES6, a five-seater all-round smart electric SUV, the EC7, a five-seater smart electric flagship coupe SUV, the EC6, a five-seater smart electric coupe SUV, the ET7, a smart electric flagship sedan, and the ET5, a mid-size smart electric sedan.
The Mission
Transitioning a kernel from a monolithic "Big Kernel Lock" to fine-grained concurrency is a high-risk engineering challenge. Traditional testing is mathematically incapable of catching the non-deterministic "Heisenbugs" inherent in parallel execution. This internship is a 3-month intensive study to determine the practical limits of using automated formal methods to guarantee the safety of concurrent kernel primitives.
The Challenge: The "Logic-to-Silicon" Gap
You will navigate the intersection of low-level systems grit and formal rigor to bridge three volatile domains:
Concurrency: Managing state-space explosion when multiple cores access shared kernel objects simultaneously.
Memory Models: Ensuring locks respect the weak consistency and instruction reordering of ARMv8/RISC-V hardware.
Automated Proof: Using SMT-based tools to achieve high-assurance "push-button" verification without the years-long overhead of manual theorem proving.
Roles and Responsibilities
  • Design Logic (TLA+/Spin): Formalize locking protocols to mathematically prove the absence of deadlocks and circular waits.
  • Implementation Audit (ESBMC/CBMC): Apply Bounded Model Checking to C source code to exhaustively scan for data races, pointer safety, and invariant violations.
  • Hardware Mapping: Verify the placement of memory barriers to prevent hardware-level synchronization failure on modern CPUs.
  • AI-Augmented Scaling: Leverage LLMs as an "Inference Engine" to synthesize formal invariants and environment harnesses, then critically audit the results for logical soundness.

Qualifications
  • Currently pursuing or completed a PhD or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related field with relevant research projects and publications.
  • Low-Level Systems Mastery: Deep proficiency in C; ability to reason about memory alignment, volatile keywords, and hardware interrupts. You should be comfortable reading ARMv8 assembly to ensure compiler optimizations haven't compromised synchronization.
  • Concurrent Intuition: A visceral understanding of L1/L2cache coherency (MESI), lock hierarchies, and why a "correct" C program can fail on weak-memory hardware if barriers are missing.
  • Formal & Logical Rigor: The ability to model software as a discrete state-machine. You should prefer a "proof of absence" (no bugs exist) over a "proof of presence" (one test passed).
  • The Researcher's Grit: Persistence in the face of "state space explosion" or cryptic model-checker errors. You must be a detective capable of pruning models to find one-in-a-billion interleaving failures.

Compensation:
The US base salary range for this full-time position is $38.00 - $46.00.
  • Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
  • Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only. It does not include discretionary bonus, equity, or benefits.

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