Firmware Architect

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 based in India (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)

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!