Principal Firmware Engineer

Microsoft Silicon and Cloud Hardware Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is the team behind Microsoft's expanding Cloud Infrastructure and responsible for powering Microsoft's "Intelligent Cloud" mission. We are looking to develop custom silicon and SoCs to deploy in Azure and with this position our focus is on the Microsoft Azure AI Accelerator (MAIA) roadmap.

Are you passionate about working on cutting edge technology in a team that embodies the growth mindset? Are you hoping to join an organization which is built on a mission "To empower every person and organization on this planet to achieve more"? Within the Firmware Center of Excellence, we're looking for a customer-focused, hands-on SW engineer to help us develop a suite of system validation and diagnostic tests running on Microsoft's next generation Azure AI Accelerator SoC. You will be working on the latest state-of-the art technologies, in a fun environment with a talented group of individuals with diverse backgrounds and skillsets and located in different geographic locations. We are looking for a Principal Firmware Engineer to join the team.

Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities:

• Develop compute-intensive and highly performant test applications running on the MAIA hardware systems, focusing on PCIe, Memory, back-end network & TDP workloads.
• Design and develop workload profiling and analysis tools that capture and benchmark the runtimes of various compute blocks and/or hardware accelerators.
• Develop end-to-end post-silicon tests and tools for functional and performance scenarios of the system.
• Collaborate across organizations with AI Frameworks SW, Silicon & System Validation, Architecture and Firmware.
• Embody our culture and values.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field AND 3+ years technical engineering experience
  • OR Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 6+ years of experience in software development in coding languages C++ or Python
• 6+ years of experience in post-silicon SoC or system validation or diagnostic/stress test content development.

Other Requirements:

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in build systems such as CMake and familiarity with CI/CD systems.
• Knowledge of power and thermal profiling, TDP/PnP, and PVT characterization.
• Knowledge of or experience with AI models/kernels such as GPT, Gemm, etc.
• Experience with CUDA or GPU or tensor-based programming is a plus+
• Ability to work closely with diverse customers, from understanding their needs to resolving their problems.
• Experience with one or more of these: DMAs, PCIe, Memory (DDR, HBM), Network Controllers, Image decoders.

Firmware Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $130,900 - $251,900 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $165,600 - $272,300 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: US corporate pay information | Microsoft Careers

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until July 20th, 2025.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form .

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.

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