Firmware Engineer Lead

Kandou AI; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 6,000,000 - 9,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Kandou is seeking a Firmware Engineer Lead based in Pune to spearhead embedded firmware for PCIe-based products within data-center hardware. The role requires deep C/C++ and Python expertise, plus hands-on work with high-speed interfaces and SoC HW-SW integration.

The ideal candidate will have 12+ years leading complex silicon/SoC firmware projects, and will collaborate with HW teams and OpenBMC/OCP initiatives to advance Kandou's MIMO-over-copper AI memory fabric platform.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in EE or CS; Master’s preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead firmware development for PCIe/SOC products.
• Architect HW-SW interfaces and verify integration with hardware teams.
• Drive server/storage/networking firmware projects in data-center context.
• Collaborate with SoC designers and OpenBMC/OCP groups.

Skills

Embedded firmware

C/C++

Python

Build environments

GitHub

PCIe interfaces

NVMe interfaces

SoC HW-SW interfaces

Education

Bachelor’s in EE or Computer Science

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

GCC/Make

Doxygen

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 Engineer Lead, based in Pune.

Required Experience:

• Experience developing embedded firmware for PCIe products.

• High level of proficiency in C (preferred) or C++, including development of C-based SDKs.

• High level of proficiency in Python for automating pre-processors/post-processors.

• Working knowledge of software/firmware build environments, gcc/Make, Doxygen, and GitHub.

• Hands‑on experience with Server, Storage, and/or Networking equipment (e.g. Network Switches).

• Familiarity with SoC interfaces to common IP blocks such as PCIe Controllers, NVME Controllers, AMBA/AHB interfaces, on‑chip memory interfaces, and other similar interfaces

• Direct experience working on products with high‑speed interfaces common in Data Center equipment: PCI- Express (Gen-3 and above), 100/400G Ethernet, Infiniband, NVMe, etc

Preferred Experience:

• Experience developing firmware to execute in on‑chip microcontrollers as well as C-language SDKs to execute on system management controllers (e.g. BMC)

• Experience with industry forums and collaboration workgroups such as OCP and OpenBMC

• Experience with storage or SSD firmware, including NVMe, PCIe, CXL or flash management concepts.

• Hands‑on experience with simulation or virtual platform–based development (e.g., VDK, QEMU, or similar)

Qualifications:

• Strong academic and technical background in electrical engineering. At a minimum, a Bachelor’s in EE or Computer Science is required, and a Master’s is preferred.

• Minimum 12+ years’ (Lead/Architect) experience supporting or developing complex SoC/silicon products for Server, Storage, and/or Networking applications

• Experience developing firmware to execute in on‑chip microcontrollers as well as C-language software development kits (SDKs) to execute on system management controllers (e.g. BMC).

• Experience working with logic designers to architect and verify HW-SW interfaces on complex SoCs.

If this is the role you have been looking for and you want to be part of a growing Company, with an exciting future then we would really love to hear from you. Together We Kandou It!

https://www.kandou.ai/