About the role#
As a Software Engineering Intern on the Systems team at HP IQ, you will work on low-level software that sits close to the hardware. You will help power intelligent experiences across our products. This role is for students who want to understand how complex systems work under the hood. You will work across multiple layers of the software stack to investigate performance bottlenecks, optimize system behavior, and build software that interacts with hardware and system resources.
What you'll do#
- Build and optimize low-level systems software using C and C++.
- Investigate performance bottlenecks to improve the speed, reliability, and efficiency of existing systems.
- Work on data processing and sensor pipelines that connect software with underlying hardware.
- Analyze and improve memory usage, resource management, and system performance.
- Work across multiple layers of the software stack to understand how individual components affect overall system behavior.
- Contribute to build systems, libraries, tooling, and system configuration.
- Debug complex software and system-level issues.
- Partner with firmware, electrical engineering, and other software teams to solve technical problems.
- Own a technical project from exploration and implementation through testing and evaluation.
What you'll need#
- Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical field.
- Programming experience in C and/or C++.
- Strong understanding of computer science fundamentals, including data structures and algorithms.
- Familiarity with systems concepts such as memory management, operating systems, concurrency, computer architecture, or performance optimization.
- Experience building, debugging, or optimizing technically complex software through coursework, research, internships, or personal projects.
- Interest in understanding software at a deeper systems level and working close to hardware.
- Ability to break down complex technical problems and clearly communicate your approach.
- Familiarity with modern C++.
- Experience with Android development, specifically native apps or AOSP.
- Experience with Linux Kernel driver development.
- Experience porting reference algorithms to hardware accelerators like GPU or DSP.
- Familiarity with ARM System-on-Chip (SOC) architecture.
- Experience developing bare-metal firmware for microcontrollers.
- Ability to use common lab equipment, such as logic analyzers, to debug low-level software issues.
Location & details#
- Location: San Francisco, California.
- Term: Summer 2027 (May/June to August/September 2027).
- Modality: On-site.
- Employment: Full-time, paid internship ($40-$50 per hour).
About HP
HP operates as a public company within the IT services and consulting sector. The business maintains a global presence with headquarters in Palo Alto, California. It employs over 143,000 people across various international offices. The organization provides technology products and services to a broad customer base.
How to get in at HP
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