Working Student (f/m/d) NPU Physical Security Testing

NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) enables a smarter, safer and more sustainable world through innovation. As the world leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, NXP is pushing boundaries in the automotive, industrial & IoT, mobile, and communication infrastructure markets.

AI accelerators and Neural Processing Units (NPUs) are becoming key building blocks in automotive, industrial, and IoT systems. As these hardware accelerators increasingly execute security-critical workloads, understanding their resilience against physical attacks is an important and fast-moving research topic.

In this project you will investigate the security of state-of-the-art AI hardware from a hardware-security perspective, with a focus on experimentally evaluating NPUs under side-channel and fault-injection attack scenarios. The goal is to reproduce known attack methodologies from the literature, assess their applicability to modern accelerator architectures, and explore novel approaches for identifying potential weaknesses and countermeasures.

The position offers hands-on access to advanced hardware platforms and laboratory equipment, while contributing to cutting-edge research at the intersection of AI and embedded security

Your Tasks:

• Study the state-of-the-art in physical attacks against AI accelerators and machine-learning hardware. 

• Reproduce selected published side-channel and fault-injection attacks on neural-network hardware. 

• Develop and operate experimental setups for the security evaluation of NPU-based platforms. 

• Analyze the impact of physical attacks on neural-network execution and inference behavior. 

• Explore novel attack vectors, measurement techniques, or fault models applicable to AI accelerators. 

• Evaluate, document, and present experimental results. 

• Contribute to technical reports, demonstrations, and potential scientific publications. 

Education and Requirements:

• Currently pursuing a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or a related field. 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. 
• Interest in hardware security, embedded systems, or machine-learning hardware. 
• Experience with C/C++ and Python. 
• Knowledge of digital design concepts and computer architecture. 
• Familiarity with machine-learning concepts is a plus. 

What NXP Offers:

• An attractive hourly wage of €19.40
• 30 vacation days per year
• Flexible working hours
• The possibility to work in a hybrid setup
• Access to an on-site cafeteria
• Networking initiatives and Employee Resource Groups such as Young Community, No Extra Planet, NXP Equal, Women in NXP, and more — fostering both professional and personal exchange

Please note:
The successful candidate may/will be responsible for security related tasks.
The assignment may/will be in scope of security certifications, therefore a conscious and reliable way of working is necessary.

More information about NXP in Germany...