About First Silicon

Why it exists

Hardware internships are harder to find than software ones, and it is often unclear whether a first- or second-year student can apply. On September 23, 2026 the widely used Summer 2027 tech internships list on GitHub (47.6k stars) showed 275 hardware engineering internships next to 681 software engineering ones in its category counts, with no class-year column and no hardware sub-discipline tags. That list is great for what it does; First Silicon lists every hardware internship and co-op on the job boards it reads and labels each one.

In the September 24, 2026 update, 4 of 191 roles said freshmen or sophomores can apply, 15 asked for junior standing or later, and 172 did not state a class year at all. That is why First Silicon lists every role with its label instead of only the ones that mention first- and second-year students.

What it does differently

• Hardware only, tagged by discipline: embedded, FPGA/ASIC, analog, RF, power, PCB, test, controls, semiconductor process and photonics.
• A class-year label on every role: Fr/So friendly when the posting says first- or second-year students can apply, Juniors+ when it asks for junior standing or later, and "not stated" for the rest.
• Citizenship, ITAR/export and clearance flags up front.
• A calendar of government and national-lab programs open before junior year.

What it is not

First Silicon is not a job board and does not host postings; every role links to the employer's own page. It is not affiliated with any listed employer, and nothing here is career, legal or immigration advice.

Questions or corrections: contact.