Staff Firmware Engineer

Tenstorrent is leading the industry on cutting-edge AI technology, revolutionizing performance expectations, ease of use, and cost efficiency. With AI redefining the computing paradigm, solutions must evolve to unify innovations in software models, compilers, platforms, networking, and semiconductors. Our diverse team of technologists have developed a high performance RISC-V CPU from scratch, and share a passion for AI and a deep desire to build the best AI platform possible. We value collaboration, curiosity, and a commitment to solving hard problems. We are growing our team and looking for contributors of all seniorities.

Tenstorrent is looking for a Staff Firmware Developer to contribute to development of system management firmware for Tenstorrent products, with strong familiarity across the broader system software stack (bootloaders, embedded Linux, drivers, and low‑level host integration). You’ll own critical pieces of our mission‑mode firmware running on embedded controllers and management cores, while collaborating closely with system software, validation, and hardware teams to deliver reliable, debuggable platforms.

This role is hybrid, based out of Toronto, ON.

We welcome candidates at various experience levels for this role. During the interview process, candidates will be assessed for the appropriate level, and offers will align with that level, which may differ from the one in this posting.

Who You Are

You have 5+ years of experience in embedded firmware or low-level system software development, with strong C/C++ fundamentals across memory layout, interrupts, concurrency, and bare-metal or RTOS-based development.

You have hands-on experience bringing up hardware platforms and debugging issues at the hardware-software boundary using lab and software tools.

You are comfortable working across the broader system stack, including bootloaders, embedded Linux, drivers, host management interfaces, and firmware validation workflows.

You collaborate effectively across hardware, validation, and software teams, and ideally bring added experience in areas such as Zephyr, power and thermal management, secure boot, CI, or Python-based automation.

What We Need

Develop, maintain, and optimize embedded firmware for microcontrollers and SoCs used in Tenstorrent boards and systems, including mission-mode firmware running on management cores and embedded controllers.

Bring up new platforms through early diagnostics, power-on sequencing, and low-level driver development for board- and system-level interfaces.

Build reliable boot, update, recovery, telemetry, logging, and power-management capabilities in close partnership with BMC, kernel, runtime, security, and hardware teams.

Create and maintain strong validation coverage through unit, integration, hardware-in-the-loop, board-level, and system-level testing while helping define best practices for firmware architecture and maintainability.

What You Will Learn

How Tenstorrent systems boot, initialize, and manage board- and system-level hardware in production environments.

How firmware integrates with bootloaders, embedded Linux, kernel drivers, runtime software, BMC flows, and host-side management tools.

How power, thermal, telemetry, observability, and recovery mechanisms are designed to support reliable and debuggable AI platforms.

How cross-functional teams at Tenstorrent work together to shape long-term firmware architecture, platform standards, and next-generation system behavior.

Compensation for all engineers at Tenstorrent ranges from $100k - $500k including base and variable compensation targets. Experience, skills, education, background and location all impact the actual offer made.

This offer of employment is contingent upon the applicant being eligible to access U.S. export-controlled technology. Due to U.S. export laws, including those codified in the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the Company is required to ensure compliance with these laws when transferring technology to nationals of certain countries (such as EAR Country Groups D:1, E1, and E2). These requirements apply to persons located in the U.S. and all countries outside the U.S. As the position offered will have direct and/or indirect access to information, systems, or technologies subject to these laws, the offer may be contingent upon your citizenship/permanent residency status or ability to obtain prior license approval from the U.S. Commerce Department or applicable federal agency. If employment is not possible due to U.S. export laws, any offer of employment will be rescinded.