Staff Software Engineer - AI Accelerator Card Security Engineer

About the Role

Qualcomm Technology Inc.'s Dragonfly AI accelerator cards play a pivotal role in delivering enhanced AI capabilities by offloading AI workloads from general processors to dedicated NPU cores. This results in superior execution speed, reduced latency, and lower energy consumption. Given their role in handling sensitive user and model data, robust security is a vital product demand essential for market success.

We are looking for an experienced security engineer to join our Dragonfly security team. This role involves ensuring that the components of our AI accelerator cards meet stringent security standards, are properly configured, and securely provisioned.

Primary Responsibilities

• Establish and document security requirements for AI accelerator card components.
• Define mechanisms to secure communications between the Board Management Controller (BMC) and platform-management services, including Redfish, SPDM, and PLDM protocols.
• Develop processes to establish device identities, gather measurements, generate and verify evidence, enabling Platform Root of Trust (PRoT) to attest the accelerator card's state via the BMC to management services.
• Represent the Dragonfly security team at customer, vendor, and standards forums, especially those focused on attestation protocols development and interoperability.
• Assess third-party components for compliance with security standards and collaborate with vendors to enhance security where necessary.
• Design and document factory services for device personalization, provisioning keys, certificates, identities, and configuration data.
• Create test plans and validation systems for factory environments to ensure correct provisioning of identities, keys, certificates, and secure configurations.

The position combines high-level security design and requirements development with practical prototyping, implementation review, automation, and validation.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related area plus over 7 years of product security or related experience. Advanced degree experience may substitute for some work experience.
• Comprehensive knowledge of security aspects pertaining to physical components on AI accelerator cards, including BMC, PRoT, flash storage, PCIe switches, and ACS.
• Solid understanding of key and certificate management principles.
• Familiarity with device security lifecycle concepts such as root-of-trust, secure boot chains, and firmware authentication.
• Proven experience conducting security risk assessments of component-based systems.
• Demonstrated capability to draft security specifications and evaluate system compliance.
• Proficient in reviewing firmware and software written in C for security aspects concerning AI accelerator card components.
• Experience in Python programming for developing provisioning utilities, automating tests, and validating protocols.
• Excellent communication skills in both verbal and written forms.

Preferred Skills

• Master’s degree with specialization in security within related fields.
• Understanding of secure debugging and return merchandise authorization (RMA) workflows.
• Knowledge of MCTP, SPDM, PLDM, and Redfish protocols.
• Experience designing secure provisioning protocols in manufacturing contexts.
• Expertise with attestation security systems, including post-quantum cryptography considerations.
• Familiarity with Open Compute Project (OCP), Confidential Computing Consortium (CCC), and IETF RATS working group specifications, including EAT token standards.
• Background in AI accelerator system development.
• Advanced skills in C for provisioning keys, certificates, and secure configuration management.

Work Location and Environment

This role is based in Cork, Ireland—a vibrant economic center with a multicultural community and excellent quality of life. Cork provides strong connectivity to Europe and international destinations via its airport.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Qualcomm is committed to equal opportunity employment. All qualified candidates receive consideration without bias toward race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other protected groups.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary, stock options, and performance bonuses.
• Maternity and Paternity leave.
• Employee stock purchase plan.
• Matching pension scheme.
• Educational assistance programs.
• Support for relocation and immigration if required.
• Insurance coverages including life, medical, income, and travel.
• Subsidies for physical and mental well-being memberships.
• Bicycle purchase incentive.
• Various employee clubs such as running, football, chess, badminton, and more.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related disciplines plus at least 4 years’ experience in software engineering or related roles.
• Or Master’s degree with minimum 3 years’ relevant experience.
• Or PhD with at least 2 years’ experience.
• At least 2 years' experience programming in languages including C, C++, Java, or Python.
• Qualifications in years are indicative; equivalent skill sets and abilities are welcomed.

Additional Notes

Qualcomm supports workplace accessibility for individuals with disabilities and provides accommodations during the hiring process upon request.