Scorpio Product Applications Intern

Location: San Jose, California, United States
Employment type: Internship
Organization: Product Applications / Scorpio

About Astera Labs

Astera Labs is a rapidly growing semiconductor company redefining connectivity for AI and cloud infrastructure. Our intelligent connectivity solutions enable seamless data movement across compute, memory, and storage. As part of our team, you’ll help solve the connectivity challenges behind advanced AI platforms and data-center systems.

 

Job Description:

As an Astera Labs Product Application Engineer Intern, you will tackle complex debugging challenges that span from low-level firmware and chip configuration to PCB hardware design, to full system-level integration. You will be responsible for root-causing issues that cut across multiple layers simultaneously (e.g., is it a firmware bug? A board design problem? A system configuration mismatch?) and then drive those issues to resolution. You'll work directly with cutting-edge PCIe Gen6 fabric switches and connectivity products deployed in real data center environments, collaborating with firmware, board design, and system architecture teams. This role is for candidates who want to understand how an entire system works from chip to rack and are motivated by problems that don't have obvious answers.

Basic Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing a B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering.
• Strong coursework/foundation in digital logic design, computer architecture, analog/mixed-signal circuits, or embedded systems.
• GPA >= 3.5 (or equivalent demonstrated excellence in technical coursework).

 

Strong candidates will have one or more of the following technical Skills:

• Firmware/Embedded Programming: Proficiency in C for bare-metal or embedded firmware development. Understanding of register-level hardware interaction, memory-mapped I/O, bit manipulation, and interrupt-driven programming.
• Circuit Design & Analog Fundamentals: Understanding of basic circuit analysis, op-amp circuits, power supply design, signal conditioning, or mixed-signal concepts. Ability to reason about voltage levels, impedance, noise, and how digital signals behave as analog waveforms at high speeds.
• Scripting & Automation: Strong Python skills. Writing test automation scripts, parsing hardware logs, data processing, and interfacing with hardware over serial/I2C/SMBus protocols.
• Lab & Measurement Skills: Hands-on experience with oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, logic analyzers, multimeters, function generators, JTAG debuggers, or serial terminal interfaces. Comfortable taking real measurements and correlating them with expected circuit/system behavior.
• Digital Systems & Computer Architecture: Understanding of bus protocols, state machines, link-layer concepts, clock domain crossings, and how hardware and firmware interact at the register level.
• Technical Communication: Ability to clearly document findings, write bug reports, and produce concise technical summaries for both internal engineering teams and external customers.

 

Preferred Technical Experience:

• PCIe or High-Speed Serial Protocols: Coursework or project experience involving PCIe, USB, Ethernet, SPI, UART, or I2C. Understanding of how data moves between ICs and how link negotiation/training works.
• Signal Integrity Fundamentals: Exposure to transmission line theory, impedance matching, S-parameters, eye diagrams, or PCB stack-up design from coursework in electromagnetics or high-speed digital design.
• Firmware Development & Debugging: Experience building or modifying embedded firmware. Flashing, debugging via UART/JTAG, reading register dumps, and correlating firmware state with hardware behavior.
• PCB/Schematic Reading: Ability to read hardware schematics and board layouts. Understanding of power delivery, decoupling, high-speed trace routing, and via structures.
• FPGA or HDL Experience: Verilog/VHDL coursework or project experience. Understanding of RTL design, simulation, and synthesis.
• Linux Proficiency: Comfortable working in Linux command-line environments. SSH, shell scripting (bash), remote system management, file systems, and basic system administration.

 

What Sets the Best Candidates Apart:

• Prior internship, co-op, or significant project experience involving silicon bring-up, embedded systems debugging, FPGA-based prototyping, or hardware/firmware co-development.
• Demonstrated ability to independently diagnose complex problems where the root cause is unclear and could span multiple engineering domains.
• Evidence of being a fast, self-directed learner. Comfortable picking up proprietary tools, unfamiliar codebases, and new hardware platforms with minimal guidance.
• Passion for understanding how things work at every level of the stack.

 

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.

Equal opportunity

Astera Labs is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We encourage anyone with relevant experience to apply.