About the role#
Samsung Semiconductor is seeking a thermal engineering intern to join the Power & Thermal Lab. You will work on building and calibrating models for HBM stacks and packages to support the development of next-generation AI memory technologies. This role involves direct ownership of specific platform components, ranging from physics-based CFD references to validated models that inform design decisions for architecture, power, and package teams.
What you'll do#
- Build and calibrate CFD models (Simcenter Flotherm) of HBM stacks and packages under realistic cooling conditions.
- Extend compact thermal models to new stack heights, die configurations, and base-die power levels.
- Quantify model accuracy against CFD results in both steady state and transient conditions.
- Develop homogenization methods to replace fine features, such as TSV arrays and micro-bumps, with effective properties.
- Improve thermal solver speeds using model-order reduction, sparse linear algebra, preconditioning, GPU acceleration, or machine-learning surrogates.
- Run transient simulations using real AI workload traces to identify spatiotemporal hotspots and explore thermal-aware policies.
- Evaluate advanced cooling options and thermal-interface materials, translating findings into design guidance.
- Couple thermal models with the lab's trace-driven power simulation engine.
- Document methods and results for presentation to engineers and lab leadership.
What you'll need#
- Currently pursuing a PhD (preferred) or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related field.
- At least one academic quarter or semester remaining in your program.
- A strong foundation in heat transfer, specifically transient conduction in multi-layer solids and thermal contact resistance.
- Hands-on experience with numerical methods, such as finite-volume, finite-element, or finite-difference.
- Proficiency in scientific programming using Python or MATLAB.
- Ability to critically evaluate simulation results, including mesh convergence and energy balance, and explain discrepancies between models.
- Experience with Simcenter Flotherm, Ansys Icepak/Fluent, or COMSOL is preferred.
- Familiarity with compact or reduced-order thermal models, ML surrogates, electronics packaging, 3D-IC thermal management, HPC, or GPU programming is a plus.
Location & details#
- Location: San Jose, California.
- Modality: On-site.
- Employment type: Full-time internship.
- Compensation: Paid position.
About Samsung Semiconductor
Samsung Semiconductor operates as a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. The company manufactures semiconductor components for device makers. It started operations in 1974. The organization employs more than 10,000 people.
How to get in at Samsung Semiconductor
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