Talent.com
Onsemi
Principal Firmware Engineer, AI PlatformOnsemi • Waterloo, ON, Canada
Principal Firmware Engineer, AI Platform

Principal Firmware Engineer, AI Platform

Onsemi • Waterloo, ON, Canada
15 days ago
Job type
  • Full-time
Job description

We are looking for a Principal Firmware Engineer to lead the integration and control of our next-generation AI accelerators. As our products evolve to include dedicated neural network hardware, the challenge shifts from pure algorithm implementation to complex hardware orchestration.

This role is about more than just writing kernels; it’s about defining the firmware layer that sits between high-level AI frameworks and our custom silicon. You will be responsible for how our DSPs manage, schedule, and feed data to these accelerators. We need a veteran who can look at a PyTorch model and determine the best way to tile memory, manage DMA transfers, and synchronize processing to ensure we hit our ultra-low-power targets while maximizing throughput. You will also be the primary technical voice influencing our future hardware specs to ensure our accelerators are actually "firmware-friendly."

  • Architect Accelerator Orchestration: Define and implement the firmware control logic, drivers, and scheduling required to manage dedicated neural network accelerators from the DSP/MCU.
  • Bridge the AI Flow: Develop the toolchain strategy that translates PyTorch/TensorFlow models into optimized hardware-specific instructions and memory layouts.
  • Optimize Data Movement: Design efficient DMA and memory tiling strategies to minimize power consumption and latency when moving data between memory and AI hardware blocks.
  • Influence Silicon Design: Serve as the lead firmware stakeholder in hardware/software co-design, ensuring that future hardware accelerators have the right registers, interrupts, and memory interfaces for efficient control.
  • Customer Technical Interface: Act as the "deep-tech" lead for customers, providing the architectural guidance they need to deploy sophisticated models on our specific hardware/firmware stack.
  • Performance Bottleneck Analysis: Identify and resolve performance gaps in the interaction between the DSP and the accelerator, moving beyond "it works" to "it's optimal."
  • Technical Mentorship: Lead the broader firmware team in modern AI deployment techniques, setting the standard for production-quality, hardware-abstracted code.

Must-Haves:

  • 15+ years of firmware development experience, with a heavy focus on hardware/software co-design and controlling custom accelerators or NPUs.
  • Deep Hardware Interfacing Knowledge: Expert-level understanding of DMA, memory-mapped I/O, interrupts, and synchronization between CPU/DSP and specialized hardware blocks.
  • AI Framework Literacy: Strong grasp of the PyTorch/TensorFlow ecosystem and how high-level graphs are lowered and quantized for embedded deployment.
  • Bare-Metal Mastery: Expert-level C and a "thinking in hardware" mindset; you should be comfortable reading a hardware spec and identifying the firmware bottlenecks before the silicon is even made.
  • Resource-Constrained Optimization: Proven experience squeezing performance out of systems with very limited memory (KB) and strict power budgets.
  • Communication: Ability to explain complex hardware-to-firmware trade-offs to senior leadership and provide technical leadership across cross-functional teams.

Nice-to-Haves:

  • Experience building or using AI compilers or toolchains (., TVM, MLIR, or custom IRs).
  • Background in ultra-low-power DSPs (audiology, wearables, or medical devices).
  • Experience with ARM Cortex-M or proprietary DSP architectures and their specific bus protocols.
  • Knowledge of fixed-point arithmetic and its impact on neural network performance and power.
Create a job alert for this search

Principal Firmware Engineer, AI Platform • Waterloo, ON, Canada

Similar jobs

Senior Software Engineer - Amaris Consulting

Amaris Consultingwaterloo, on, ca
Full-time

Expert (15+ years or niche expertise).Cyber Security portfolio within Cyber Data Risk & Resilience (CDRR).The consultant will contribute to the design, development, and modernization of secure and ... Show more

 • Promoted

Staff Software Engineer - Priority

Prioritywaterloo, on, ca
Full-time

Priority Technology Holdings, Inc.Our vision is to eliminate the barriers to unlocking revenue - empowering businesses to grow faster and operate smarter.We achieve this through the Priority Commer... Show more

 • Promoted

Physics Private Tutoring Jobs Conestogo

SuperprofConestogo, CA
Full-time

Superprof is Canada's #1 tutoring platform, and we're actively recruiting passionate tutors! Whether you're a student, a professional, or simply someone who loves teaching, join the largest communi... Show more

 • Promoted

Survey Taker: Earn up to $25 per survey (Remote)

Earn HausMapleton, ON, CA
Remote
Full-time +1

Looking for people to participate in taking online surveys for Fortune 500 brands.All you need to do is complete online surveys by sharing your opinion.You will help influence brand decisions on se... Show more

 • Promoted

Azure Databricks Engineer

Tredence Inc.waterloo, on, ca
Full-time

We are seeking a skilled Azure Databricks Engineer with strong experience in Azure Data Factory (ADF) to design, develop, and maintain scalable data pipelines and analytics solutions on the Azure c... Show more

 • Promoted

Senior Data Engineer - $110 An Hour - Remote

PeopleToGo Inc.Waterloo, Canada
Remote
Full-time

Senior Data Engineers needed to build and maintain data pipelines and products within Microsoft Fabric and Azure ecosystems. Show more

 • Promoted

Director, Ai Initiatives, Canadian Operations - C$110,000 - C$180,000 A Year

Sun LifeWaterloo, Canada
Full-time

The Director, AI Initiatives will lead AI strategies to drive innovation and efficiency within Canadian Operations, collaborating with various teams and stakeholders. Show more

 • Promoted

Pigment Solution Architect - Brabner Fox

Brabner Foxwaterloo, on, ca
Full-time +1

We are partnering with a rapidly growing, Pigment consultancy (tiered exclusive partner) that is scaling rapidly with a strong pipeline of major wins.The firm specializes in delivering high-impact ... Show more

 • Promoted

Principal Product Manager (AI Engineering)

OpenTextWaterloo, Region of Waterloo, CA
Full-time

Principal Product Manager (AI Engineering).Principal Product Manager (AI Engineering).Principal Product Manager (AI Engineering).Principal Product Manager (AI Engineering).Direct message the job po... Show more

 • Promoted

Director of AI

People In AIwaterloo, on, ca
Full-time

Director, AI / ML (Applied AI & Agentic Systems).A scaled, product-led technology company operating at the intersection of data, AI, and vertical SaaS—focused on transforming how complex, real-worl... Show more

 • Promoted

Software Engineer, Frontend - Hays

Hayswaterloo, on, ca
Permanent

Senior Software Engineer, Frontend.Join a high-growth, product-driven technology company transforming the healthcare space through modern, scalable software solutions.Operating in a remote-first en... Show more

 • Promoted

Guidewire Architect

Pacer Groupwaterloo, on, ca
Full-time

Job Title: Solution Architect (Java, Guidewire).Pay Rate: CAD 75-78/hour Incorporated.Application Deadline: May 29th, 2026.Experience with Guidewire implementations and integrations.Experience in I... Show more

 • Promoted

Senior ASIC Design & Verification Engineer for AI Inference

Targeted TalentWaterloo, Region of Waterloo, CA
Full-time

A leading technology recruitment agency is seeking an experienced hardware design engineer located in Kitchener, Canada.The ideal candidate will have more than 5 years in hardware systems design, p... Show more

 • Promoted

Nanny Wanted - Job Posting: A Skilled Private Nanny

CanadianNanny.caTillsonburg, Ontario, Canada
Full-time

Description: I am looking for a casual time nanny available in Tillsonburg, Ontario for our 5 year old during the summer vacation.My aim is to connect with a good employee who has a flexible schedu... Show more

 • Promoted

DevSecOps Engineer - DLS Technology Corporation

DLS Technology Corporationwaterloo, on, ca
Full-time

DLS Technology Corporation is seeking a highly skilled.CI/CD pipelines, cloud infrastructure, and automation frameworks.The ideal candidate possesses a strong background in Infrastructure as Code (... Show more

 • Promoted

Senior/ Lead - AI Engineer - FICO

FICOwaterloo, on, ca
Full-time

As a Senior Engineer on our Applied AI team, you will be at the forefront of building AI-powered software that transforms how our platform operates.You will design, build, and maintain production-g... Show more

 • Promoted

Bilingual EDI & AS400/RPG Analyst/Developer - Q1 Technologies, Inc.

Q1 Technologies, Inc.waterloo, on, ca
Permanent

Role: Bilingual EDI & AS400/RPG Analyst/Developer.Bilingual proficiency in English and French.Experience on AS400 programming- RPGLE, RPG, SQL, CL, CLLE.Proficiency with EDI and experience with Tru... Show more

 • Promoted

Internal Audit Manager

Vaco by HighspringElmira (duplicate), Ontario, Canada
CA$140,000.00 yearly
Permanent

Our client is a multinational manufacturing company.They are looking for a Internal Audit Manager to join their team!.Competitive salary and benefits package.High-visibility role with global scope.... Show more

 • Promoted

AI Agentic Developer - GSPANN Technologies, Inc

GSPANN Technologies, Incwaterloo, on, ca
Full-time

Headquartered in California, U.GSPANN is a leading provider of consulting and IT services to global clients.We specialize in helping clients transform their IT capabilities, optimize business pract... Show more

 • Promoted

Head of Product - Auxo | Growth Partner

Auxo | Growth Partnerwaterloo, on, ca
Full-time

AI-native fintech platform building digital teammates that automate finance and back-office work.You'll own product strategy, portfolio direction, and roadmap decisions across a growing suite of AI... Show more