Systems Engineering Intern - Hardware Security

Job Description:

Change the world. Love your job.

We can't predict what the future holds, but we know Texas Instruments will have a part in shaping it.
At TI, Systems engineers focus deeply on understanding the technical needs, and future trends of an industry or end equipment, then create new products and innovative forward-looking product roadmaps to solve them. Systems Engineers are an integral part each phase of new product development at TI. In the early stages of product development, systems engineers interface with key stakeholders (customer decision-makers, application engineers, marketing, management, sales, IC design engineers, technology development) to negotiate specifications, perform trade-offs, understand the competitive landscape, and ultimately develop detailed technical definitions for new products. They then collaborate with the full IC development team (design, applications, test, product engineers) to deliver products to the market which are compelling, competitive, cost-conscious, manufacturable, and importantly, successful in growing TI's business.
We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student to join our Embedded AI and Hardware Security team in Kilby Labs this summer to work on PUF (Physically Unclonable Function) IP development for hardware security in energy and resource constrained microcontrollers. Your work will involve exploring innovative approaches to co-optimize algorithms, architecture and circuit design to enable a low cost implementation - in terms of both area as well as test/run time.
In this systems engineering intern role, you'll have the chance to:
* Develop and optimize algorithms for PUF enrollment - this involves characterizing PUF circuits and developing techniques to reduce the cycles needed to identify bits of interest
* Explore algorithm-hardware co-design techniques to reduce cost as well as time needed to extract PUF signature at run-time.
* Collaborate with internal technology design teams to build the IP as a macro to be integrated in the target microcontroller SoC
* Assess the suitability of the "unstable" circuit elements as an entropy source to build a true random number generator.
Put your talent to work with us as a systems engineering intern - change the world, love your job

Candidate Requirements:

Minimum Requirements:
* Currently pursuing a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering or related field
* Cumulative 3.0/4.0 GPA or higher
Preferred Qualifications:
* Solid background in computer architecture, digital design, memory systems, and/or embedded systems
* Proven track record of research demonstrated by first-authored publications at leading architecture/systems conferences (e.g., ISCA, MICRO, HPCA, DAC, ISSCC)/journals.
* Demonstrated chip tape-out and post-silicon characterization experience
* Proficiency in hardware description languages (Verilog/VHDL) and/or architectural simulation tools
* Strong programming skills in Python and C/C++, including performance analysis and optimization
* Knowledge of SRAM/DRAM circuit design and memory architecture principles
* Familiarity with hardware security (including PUF) technologies and standards
* Experience with algorithm-hardware co-design methodologies
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work in a dynamic and distributed team
* Ability to establish strong relationships with key stakeholders critical to success, both internally and externally
* Strong verbal and written communication skills to audiences of varied background
* Ability to simplify complex problems and navigate uncertainty
* Ability to quickly ramp on new systems and processes
* Demonstrated strong interpersonal, analytical and problem-solving skills
* Ability to work in teams and collaborate effectively with people in different functions
* Ability to take the initiative and drive for results
* Strong time management skills that enable on-time project delivery