Role Summary
Cisco is seeking an enthusiastic Software Engineer to join the Silicon One Software team at our design center in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Operating in a hybrid working environment, this team builds the full software stack powering Cisco's groundbreaking Silicon One Network Processing Units (NPUs) for web-scale cloud data centers, routing platforms, and AI/ML workloads. In this role, you will design, develop, and integrate control plane and data plane software using modern C++ and Python, collaborate directly with global enterprise customers, troubleshoot complex network software issues, and work alongside hardware and ASIC architecture teams to shape next-generation silicon networking solutions.
Key Responsibilities
- NPU Software Development: Design, develop, and test high-performance software modules for both control plane and data plane architectures on Cisco Silicon One NPUs using modern C++ and Python.
- Customer Engineering & Support: Engage with global customers and the open networking community to capture technical requirements, drive Silicon One product adoption, and resolve complex field issues.
- Debugging & Root Cause Analysis: Diagnose software defects, analyze network traffic anomalies, and troubleshoot system bottlenecks using advanced debugging tools such as GDB and PDB.
- Hardware & Architecture Collaboration: Gain deep knowledge of Silicon One hardware programming models and collaborate with silicon architecture teams to influence future ASIC designs.
- Standards & Solution Integration: Contribute to open standards and open networking platforms, building highly scalable, low-latency, and power-efficient routing and switching solutions.
Key Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor of Science (B.S. / B.E. / B.Tech) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field with 0–1 year of relevant experience, or a Master of Science (M.S. / M.E. / M.Tech) in EE/CS.
- Experience: 0 to 1 year of professional or academic experience in software engineering and systems programming.
- Core Technical Skills: Strong proficiency in modern C++ and Python, with a solid grounding in core data structures, algorithms, and systems programming methodologies.
- Networking Protocols: Hands-on understanding of foundational L2/L3 networking protocols and routing technologies (such as BGP, OSPF, MPLS, and TCP/IP).
- Debugging & Tooling: Proven analytical reasoning and debugging skills using diagnostic tools such as GDB or PDB in Linux/Unix environments.
- Preferred Capabilities: Familiarity with Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI), SONiC, or modern Network Operating Systems (NOS), and exposure to scalable data center or cloud networking architectures.
About Cisco
Cisco is the worldwide technology leader that securely connects everything to make anything possible. For 40 years, Cisco has been inspiring new possibilities by reimagining applications, securing enterprise data, transforming infrastructure, and empowering teams for a global and inclusive digital future.