Intern, Architect - Link Architecture and Analysis

Ayar Labs • San Jose, CA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Ayar Labs is seeking a motivated graduate or Ph.D. intern to join its CTO architecture team, which analyzes electro-optical boundaries, signal integrity, and performance limits of next-generation interconnects. The intern will work on electrical integrated circuit/photonic integrated circuit (EIC/PIC) co-optimization and model architecture performance. The work will include evaluating near-packaged optics (NPO) and co-packaged optics (CPO) paradigms in alignment with emerging OCI MSA specifications, in collaboration with mixed-signal designers, photonics engineers, and system architects. The project will be tailored to the intern’s background, with mentorship from a senior link architect.

The internship term is May to August 2027. The position is on-site at the San Jose office. Immigration support is not available except for F-1 status, and relocation support is not offered. The posting expires upon reaching its application threshold.

Requirements

• Actively pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or Optical Engineering.
• Strong understanding of high-speed SerDes architecture, signal integrity, and optical link budgets.
• Familiarity with advanced packaging architectures, including CPO and NPO, and electro-optical transceiver components such as modulators, photodetectors, TIAs, and drivers.
• Strong programming and data analysis skills in Python or MATLAB.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, self-manage time, and complete project tasks.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of emerging high-speed I/O standards and scale-up fabrics, such as OCI MSA, IEEE 802.3 224G, ESUN, and UALink.

Responsibilities

• Work on EIC/PIC co-optimization and model the performance of architectures.
• Collaborate with mixed-signal designers, photonics engineers, and system architects.
• Evaluate NPO and CPO packaging paradigms in alignment with emerging OCI MSA specifications.
• Manage project tasks independently and collaboratively through to completion.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree