Staff Firmware Engineer

Company Description

Sandisk understands how people and businesses consume data and we relentlessly innovate to deliver solutions that enable today's needs and tomorrow's next big ideas. With a rich history of groundbreaking innovations in Flash and advanced memory technologies, our solutions have become the beating heart of the digital world we're living in and that we have the power to shape.

Sandisk meets people and businesses at the intersection of their aspirations and the moment, enabling them to keep moving and pushing possibility forward. We do this through the balance of our powerhouse manufacturing capabilities and our industry-leading portfolio of products that are recognized globally for innovation, performance and quality.

Sandisk has two facilities recognized by the World Economic Forum as part of the Global Lighthouse Network for advanced 4IR innovations. These facilities were also recognized as Sustainability Lighthouses for breakthroughs in efficient operations. With our global reach, we ensure the global supply chain has access to the Flash memory it needs to keep our world moving forward.

Job Description

We are seeking a talented and driven Staff Firmware Engineer to join our team and contribute to the core device-side software stack of machine learning for the Next Gen Computational Flash Controller project. In this role, you will be a key contributor to the firmware that enables high-performance communication and data transfer between the host and our device. You'll work on critical components, including the PCIe driver, DMA engine, MMIO, and Mailbox interfaces, to ensure a seamless and efficient ML workload.

Key Responsibilities

• PCIe Driver Development: Design and implement firmware for the device's PCIe driver, ensuring robust and high-speed communication with the host. You will be responsible for handling interrupts, managing queues, and optimizing data flow.
• Data Path Engineering: Develop and optimize firmware for the DMA engine, orchestrating high-bandwidth data transfers between the host and on-device memory.
• Hardware Interface: Implement and manage firmware for MMIO (Memory-Mapped I/O) and Mailbox communication, enabling the host software to configure the device and send commands.
• Protocol Implementation: Work on firmware that implements a subset of the NVMe protocol or similar high-performance interfaces to streamline data and command transfers.
• Debugging and Optimization: Utilize your expertise to debug complex, system-level issues related to PCIe, DMA, and MMIO. You will profile the firmware and optimize its performance to maximize the throughput of ML workloads.

Collaboration: Work closely with the host-side software teams, hardware engineers, and other firmware engineers to ensure a cohesive and high-performing end-to-end solution

Qualifications

• Experience: 5+ years of hands-on experience in firmware or embedded systems development.
• Technical Expertise:
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ for low-level programming.
• Hands-on experience with PCIe and developing firmware or drivers for high-speed interfaces.
• Solid understanding of system architecture, including DMA engines and MMIO.
• Experience with implementing communication protocols via a Mailbox or similar shared memory mechanisms.
• Familiarity with the NVMe specification is a plus.
• Debugging Skills: Proven ability to debug complex hardware-firmware interactions using tools like JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical skills and a passion for solving challenging, low-level problems.
• Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

Additional Information

Sandisk thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.

Sandisk is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.