Product Applications Engineer Intern (Leo)

Location: San Jose, California
Employment type: Internship
Work arrangement: On-site

About Astera Labs

Astera Labs builds purpose-built connectivity solutions for rack-scale AI infrastructure. The Product Applications team helps translate those products into successful system deployments through technical collateral, product integration support, lab debug, validation, and cross-functional collaboration.

Leo is Astera Labs’ CXL Smart Memory Controller product line. Leo solutions support memory expansion, pooling, and sharing for AI and cloud platforms, with capabilities including diagnostics, telemetry, and interoperability across processor and memory ecosystems.

The opportunity

As a Product Applications Engineer Intern, you will work with experienced applications and engineering teams to help customers and internal partners understand, integrate, validate, and debug Leo products. You will gain hands-on experience at the intersection of high-speed connectivity, memory systems, embedded firmware/software, and customer-facing product engineering.

This is a practical engineering role for someone who enjoys moving between technical documentation, lab investigation, data and log analysis, and collaborative problem-solving. You will contribute to meaningful work that supports products used in next-generation AI infrastructure.

What you’ll do

• Support application-level investigation of Leo product questions and issues by reviewing system and device logs, reproducing problems in lab environments, documenting findings, and coordinating next steps with engineering teams.

• Help create, update, and review product collateral such as product briefs, datasheets, application notes, integration guidance, debug documentation, and training materials.

• Support software and firmware regression testing, including executing test flows, collecting results, identifying issues, and helping track follow-up actions.

• Participate in interoperability testing with partner devices and platforms; help analyze results and prepare clear reports for internal and external use.

• Build familiarity with CXL and PCIe-based systems, DDR memory, I2C/SMBus, embedded firmware, software development kits, diagnostics, and telemetry.

• Collaborate with Product Applications, Field Applications, firmware/software, hardware, validation, product, and sales teams throughout the product lifecycle.

• Contribute to internal product training and knowledge sharing by helping prepare materials, demonstrations, or technical walkthroughs.

• Track work and issues clearly in team tools, communicate progress and blockers, and present project outcomes to technical and business stakeholders.

What you bring

• Currently pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.

• Coursework, project, research, or hands-on experience involving computer architecture, high-speed interfaces, memory systems, embedded systems, hardware/software integration, or system validation.

• Interest in learning how semiconductor connectivity products are integrated into real server and AI infrastructure systems.

• Ability to approach technical problems methodically, use evidence from logs or measurements, and communicate findings clearly.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, attention to detail, and a collaborative working style.

• Experience with any of the following is helpful: C/C++, Python or other scripting, Linux, CXL, PCIe, DDR/DRAM, I2C/SMBus, firmware/SDKs, Jira, or lab equipment.

• Ability to work on-site in San Jose, California, for the internship.

Internship experience and compensation

This is a paid, hourly U.S. internship. The applicable hourly rate is determined as part of the offer process and specified in the offer letter, depending on education level ranges form $35/hour to $55/hour. U.S. interns currently receive a $500-per-week housing/relocation stipend for the duration of the internship. Interns participate in Early Career programming, including technical and professional-development sessions, community events, and an end-of-program project presentation.

Why join us

• Work on real projects with visible product and business impact rather than shadowing a team.

• Learn from engineers and leaders working on high-performance connectivity for AI and cloud infrastructure.

• Gain exposure to product development from integration and validation through customer support and technical enablement.

• Build a technical network through Early Career programming, community events, mentorship, and project presentations.

Equal opportunity and inclusion

Astera Labs is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants without regard to unlawful considerations of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. We are committed to maintaining a workplace free from unlawful discrimination and harassment and to providing reasonable accommodations as required by law.