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Principal Security Firmware Engineer

Austin, Texas, United States; US - Milpitas

About us 

Graphcore is one of the world’s leading innovators in Artificial Intelligence compute. It is developing hardware, software and systems infrastructure that will unlock the next generation of AI breakthroughs and power the widespread adoption of AI solutions across every industry. 

As part of the SoftBank Group, Graphcore is a member of an elite family of companies responsible for some of the world’s most transformative technologies. Together, they share a bold vision: to enable Artificial Super Intelligence and ensure its benefits are accessible to everyone. 

Graphcore’s teams are drawn from diverse backgrounds and bring a broad range of skills and perspectives. A melting pot of AI research specialists, silicon designers, software engineers and systems architects, Graphcore enjoys a culture of continuous learning and constant innovation. 

Job Summary 

We are seeking an experienced Principal Security Firmware Engineer to design, implement, and validate security mechanisms within embedded firmware and low-level system software supporting Graphcore’s AI compute platforms. 

This role focuses on protecting hardware platforms through secure firmware architecture, trusted boot mechanisms, and secure firmware update frameworks while working closely with hardware, firmware, and security architecture teams. 

The Team 

Graphcore is a globally recognised leader in Artificial Intelligence computing systems. The company designs advanced semiconductors and data centre hardware that provide the specialised processing power needed to drive AI innovation, while delivering the efficiency required to support its broader adoption. 

The Firmware and Platform Security team is responsible for securing Graphcore’s AI infrastructure platforms across firmware and hardware interface layers. 

The team collaborates with silicon engineering, hardware design teams, firmware developers, and security architects to implement trusted boot chains, secure firmware update mechanisms, and hardware-rooted security capabilities. 

Responsibilities and Duties 

  • Design and implement secure firmware architectures for embedded and hardware systems. 
  • Develop secure boot, firmware authentication, hardware root of trust, and secure firmware update mechanisms. 
  • Define threat models and security requirements for firmware components. 
  • Develop and maintain secure embedded firmware using languages such as C, C++, and Rust. 
  • Integrate cryptographic libraries and hardware security modules (HSM/TPM). 
  • Implement protections against firmware tampering, side-channel attacks, fault injection, and reverse engineering. 
  • Perform firmware security assessments, code reviews, and vulnerability analysis. 
  • Conduct penetration testing, fuzz testing, and other security validation techniques. 
  • Collaborate with hardware teams to integrate chip-level security features. 
  • Ensure firmware implementations align with industry standards such as NIST, FIPS, and Secure Development Lifecycle practices. 

Candidate Profile 

Essential 

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related discipline. 
  • 5–10+ years of experience in embedded systems or firmware development. 
  • Strong programming experience in C and C++. 
  • Deep understanding of secure boot architectures and trusted boot chains. 
  • Strong knowledge of cryptographic protocols and secure firmware design practices. 
  • Experience working with embedded operating systems such as FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or Linux. 
  • Experience implementing secure firmware update systems and cryptographic key management. 

Desirable 

  • Programming experience in Rust. 
  • Experience integrating TPM or hardware security modules (HSM). 
  • Experience with static analysis and security tools such as Coverity. 
  • Knowledge of secure silicon architectures and trusted execution environments. 
  • Experience contributing to open-source firmware security projects. 

 

Benefits:

In addition to a competitive salary, Graphcore offers a competitive benefits package. We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences; we’re committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Graphcore a great home for everyone. We offer an equal opportunity process and understand that there are visible and invisible differences in all of us. We can provide a flexible approach to interview and encourage you to chat to us if you require any reasonable adjustments. 

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