Firmware Engineer - Boot & SoC Initialization

About the role

Join a System IP team developing critical boot firmware that enables system-on-chip (SoC) initialization across a wide range of products. In this role, you will own low-level boot code that runs at power-on, making it one of the first and most essential components in the system lifecycle. You will work at the intersection of firmware and hardware in a pre-silicon environment, translating architecture requirements into code, supporting simulation and validation efforts, and collaborating closely with design and verification teams. This is a high-impact role with visibility across multiple business units, contributing to products spanning client, server, AI, and semi-custom platforms.

The person

You are a curious and driven engineer who enjoys understanding how systems work from the ground up. You take ownership of complex technical challenges and approach problems with a structured, analytical mindset. You thrive in collaborative environments, working closely with hardware, architecture, and verification teams, and communicate ideas clearly across disciplines. You are motivated by impact, eager to learn new technologies, and comfortable navigating both coding and system-level debugging to deliver reliable, high-quality solutions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain boot firmware for SoC initialization and boot flows
• Translate architecture requirements into efficient, scalable firmware solutions
• Design and implement unit-level tests for boot and initialization features
• Collaborate with verification teams to support pre-silicon validation efforts
• Debug issues across firmware, simulation, RTL, and post-silicon environments
• Analyze failures, identify root causes, and drive resolution across teams
• Support silicon bring-up activities and provide post-silicon debug assistance
• Perform coverage analysis and identify verification gaps
• Contribute to documentation of features, flows, and system interactions

Requirements

• Experience with C/C++ development for low-level or embedded systems
• Understanding of microprocessor architectures (e.g., ARM, RISC-V)
• Familiarity with SoC boot flows, resets, clocking, and initialization
• Exposure to pre-silicon environments and simulation-based development
• Experience collaborating with design verification teams and workflows
• Knowledge of hardware description languages (e.g., Verilog/SystemVerilog)
• Experience debugging across firmware and hardware layers
• Familiarity with UVM-based verification environments
• Experience with scripting (e.g., Shell, Perl, Ruby, Makefile)
• Exposure to emulation, silicon bring-up, or post-silicon debug

Qualifications

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field preferred.

This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Benefits

Benefits offered are described at AMD benefits at a glance.