PPAT – Power Software Developer

PPAT – Power Software Developer

Experience- 4 yearsKey Responsibilities:

1.  Power Management Software Development

·    Develop and optimize platform-specific power management features on SoCs (based on custom Oryon CPUs).

·    Implement DVFS (Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling), Sleep/Wake logic, and rail/clock gating across CPU, NPU, GPU, and DSP domains.

·    Integrate with Power Management ICs (PMICs) and configure resource power managers (RPMh, RSC).

2.  Low Power Mode Enablement:

·    Enable platform deep sleep, suspend-to-idle, and system sleep states tailored for Always-On (AON) use cases.

·    Validate retention/restore sequences of SoC subsystems and memory during low-power modes.

·    Integrate SPMI-based communication with PMIC for power domain control.

3.  Thermal & Performance Scaling:

·    Develop and tune thermal mitigation policies using sensors and thermal zones.

·    Interface with Battery Management System (BMS) and configure thermal trip points.

·    Implement CPUFreq/DevFreq drivers with QoS-aware thermal throttling and performance caps.

4.  Power & Thermal Characterization:

·    Measure and optimize platform power (active and idle) using Trepn Profiler, QDART, QPST, and onboard fuel gauges.

·    Perform power regression analysis across software releases and feature integrations.

·    Work with system architects to define performance-per-watt KPIs for devices (e.g., AI laptops, edge compute systems).

5.  Firmware and Bootloader Integration:

·    Collaborate with UEFI/TF-A developers to manage early-stage power initialization.

·    Coordinate with XBL, ABL, and UEFI teams for seamless handoff of power states to Linux/Windows OS.

6.  Debug & Bring-up Support:

·    Triage system-level power and thermal issues with tools like QXDM, QPST, kernel logs, ftrace, trace32, JTAG.

·    Work with silicon validation teams to debug board-level or SoC-level anomalies in power delivery or heat dissipation.

7.  Cross-Team Collaboration:

·    Partner with PMIC, platform, kernel, BSP, and thermal teams to co-design efficient power solutions.

·    Support OEM/ODM partners in tuning and validating power features for commercial products (e.g., laptops or tablets).

·    Contribute to system-level test plans and validations for power and thermal readiness at EVT/DVT stages.

Required Expertise:

1.  Qualcomm-Specific Knowledge:

·    Hands-on experience with Resource Power Manager (RPMh), SPMI, TSENS, and CPR (Core Power Reduction) mechanisms.

·    Familiarity with Oryon CPUs, Hexagon DSPs, Adreno GPU, and AI accelerators.

·    Experience with tools: QXDM, QPST, Trepn Profiler, QDART, Dragonboard/CRB environments.

2.  OS and Driver Development:

·    Strong C/C++ development skills for Linux or Windows kernel power/thermal subsystems.

·    Integration of custom PMIC or thermal drivers in AOSP or Yocto-based distributions.

3.  Power Profiling & Tuning:

·    Use of Trepn, PowerTOP, ftrace, perf, and RAPL-like interfaces for detailed power/perf analysis.

·    Tuning performance-per-watt metrics across workloads (AI inference, GPU rendering, video playback, etc.).

4.  Debugging and Analysis:

·    Strong log analysis skills (kernel, ADB, QXDM).

·    Familiarity with JTAG/debug probes, boot tracing, and event timelines for power issue debugging.

Preferred Qualifications:

·    Prior experience working on any platforms (reference or commercial).

·    Familiarity with Linux on ARM64 and power management on ARM64 SoCs.

·    Knowledge of modern thermal management techniques for fanless laptops or ultrabooks.

·    Exposure to AI performance-power optimization, e.g., NPU power scaling for LLM workloads.