Firmware Architect

Kandou AI; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Kandou is seeking a Firmware Architect based in Hyderabad or Bangalore to lead firmware architecture for high-speed SerDes/retimer products and drive silicon bring-up from first samples to production.

You will define firmware for 224G/lane AEC retimers, implement link training for 100G/lane and 200G/lane standards, own FEC and telemetry pipelines, and work closely with ASIC design and signal integrity teams to ensure IEEE 802.3ck/dj and related standards compatibility.

Qualifications

• 8-10 years embedded firmware in high-speed SerDes/retimer products.
• Hands-on PAM4 adaptation (LMS/CMA), FEC (KP4/RS-544).
• Silicon bring-up as lead (first samples to production).
• IEEE 802.3ck and 802.3dj link training experience.
• RTOS (FreeRTOS/Zephyr) on constrained MCUs (1MB flash, 256KB RAM).

Responsibilities

• Define firmware architecture for 224G/lane AEC retimer (boot, config, calibration, link training, equalization, FEC, telemetry).
• Implement link training for IEEE 802.3ck (100G/lane) and 802.3dj (200G/lane), including adaptation algorithms and fallbacks.
• Own FEC interaction (KP4, RS-544) and telemetry pipeline for Predictive Telemetry.
• Lead silicon bring-up, partnering with ASIC design and signal integrity.
• Ensure standards compliance (IEEE 802.3ck/dj, OIF-CEI, CMIS, OSFP).
• Partition HW-fixed vs FW-adaptation (equalization, SNR monitoring).
• Travel: Up to 15% (silicon bring-up, standards meetings).

Skills

C (C99/MISRA)

Assembly for critical paths

Python for tools

CI/CD

Static analysis

Hardware-in-loop tests

SerDes architecture

Standards implementation

Communication skills

Ownership

Education

BS in Electrical/Computer Engineering

MS preferred (DSP/comms focus)

Tools

FreeRTOS

Zephyr

Telemetry tooling

Job description

At Kandou, we are redefining the economics of AI infrastructure. Our mission is to democratise AI by significantly reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of hardware systems — a critical barrier to scalable adoption.

Our proprietary MIMO-over-copper technology powers a high-performance, chiplet-based AI memory fabric that is both scalable and energy-efficient. Unlike traditional interconnects, our solution reduces power consumption significantly while preserving high bandwidth and ultra-low latency — unlocking unprecedented efficiency for AI training and inference at scale.

Kandou’s architecture is not just an incremental improvement — it’s a foundational shift in how AI hardware is built for the future.

We are actively seeking a Firmware Architect either based in Hyderabad OR Bangalore.

Responsibilities

• Define firmware architecture for 224G/lane AEC retimer (boot, config, calibration, link training, equalization, FEC, telemetry)
• Implement link training for IEEE 802.3ck (100G/lane) and 802.3dj (200G/lane), including adaptation algorithms and fallbacks
• Own FEC interaction (KP4, RS-544) and telemetry pipeline for Predictive Telemetry
• Lead silicon bring-up, partnering with ASIC design and signal integrity
• Ensure standards compliance (IEEE 802.3ck/dj, OIF-CEI, CMIS, OSFP)
• Partition HW-fixed vs. FW-adaptation (equalization, SNR monitoring)
• Travel: Up to 15% (silicon bring-up, standards meetings)

Skills

• Good knowledge of C (C99, MISRA), assembly for critical paths, Python for tools
• Good knowledge of CI/CD, static analysis, hardware-in-loop tests
• Good understanding of standards implementation (IEEE 802.3, OIF)
• Good knowledge of SerDes architecture (equalization, telemetry, interrupts)
• Self-motivated, with strong sense of ownership and responsibility
• Good communication and reporting skills

Experience

• Principal / Senior Staff (8-10 years post-degree)
• 8-10 years embedded firmware in high-speed SerDes/retimer products
• Hands-on PAM4 adaptation (LMS/CMA), FEC (KP4/RS-544)
• Silicon bring-up as lead (first samples to production)
• IEEE 802.3ck and 802.3dj link training experience
• RTOS (FreeRTOS/Zephyr) on constrained MCUs (1MB flash, 256KB RAM)

Education

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science (MS preferred, DSP/comms focus)