At Qualcomm I work on the Linux kernel that runs underneath flagship Snapdragon mobile chips. My corner of it is the clock and interconnect subsystems: the drivers that decide how fast each part of the chip runs and how much bandwidth it gets to memory.
Day to day that means writing clock controller and interconnect drivers, taking them upstream to the mainline kernel through maintainer review, and building Zephyr RTOS clock drivers for boot firmware. Before a chip exists I work on FPGA emulation; when first silicon arrives I'm in the lab with the hardware and validation teams, getting it to boot.
Linux kernel · mainline
Zephyr RTOS
Clock & interconnect
FPGA emulation
First-silicon bring-up
See the chips I work on →
2025
Waypoint 04
Beijing → United States
Move to the U.S.
A new chapter · 2025
In 2025 I packed up a life in Beijing and moved to the United States. New country, new time zone, new grocery stores, same love for software that runs close to the metal.
These days home is Bellevue, Washington, with mountains on one side, water on the other, and Tietie, a golden retriever who has firm opinions about trail snacks.
2021 – 24
Waypoint 03
Beijing, China
Sophgo
Embedded Software Engineer · 2021 – 2024
Sophgo builds AI accelerator chips. I spent three years working across the stack underneath its TPU: the Linux kernel driver that exposes it to software, bare-metal boot firmware on an ARM Cortex-A53 that sets up its execution environment, and STM32 firmware that handles power sequencing and thermal monitoring on the board.
I also built PCIe and DMA drivers so several chips could talk to each other and work as one. It's where I learned to debug with a JTAG probe in one hand and an oscilloscope in the other.
I earned my master's at the University of New South Wales, graduating with a 4.0 GPA (WAM 92, High Distinction) and the UNSW Academic Excellence Award.
B.S. Statistics · School of the Gifted Young · 2019
I started university two years early, as one of 50 students admitted nationwide to the School of the Gifted Young at the University of Science and Technology of China.
I studied statistics, which turned out to be surprisingly good preparation for staring at timing data at two in the morning.
Gear check
Toolkit
Everything in the pack for a day in kernel space. Scroll down to check it off.
Dept. of Low-Level Affairs · Backcountry Division
Kernel Space Entry Permit
Form7-20Rev. 10/26
PermitteeLIN LI
Issued10 / 03 / 26
Valid inRING 0 & BELOW
EquipmentTEN (10) ITEMS
Cfirst language, still the favorite. no garbage collector, no excuses.
LINUX KERNELwhere i spend most days. clocks, interconnects, device tree.
ZEPHYR RTOSboot firmware, before linux is even awake.
PYTHONglue code, test scripts, and the occasional plot of timing data.
BASHbuild, flash, reboot, repeat.
ASSEMBLYarm and risc-v. read far more often than written.
GDB + JTAGopenocd, hardware breakpoints, and a lot of patience.
OSCILLOSCOPEplus a logic analyzer, for when the bug lives in the wires.
Collecting coastlines, mountain towns, and very good noodle shops.
Hiking
The Cascades are a short drive from home, which is either great or dangerous.
Tietie the Golden
Tietie (贴贴) is my golden retriever. Her name means “snuggle”, and she takes it seriously.
Pickleball
Table tennis, but bigger and outdoors. Recently converted.
Thunder Up
Loyal Oklahoma City Thunder fan. Game nights are not negotiable.
Summit
A note from Lin Li
I'm an embedded software engineer who likes working where hardware and software meet — kernel drivers, boot firmware, and the first days of a new chip. I care about clean, upstreamable code and understanding a bug all the way down to the signal. Outside of work, you'll find me on a trail with a camera, at a table tennis or pickleball court, or being supervised by Tietie. If you're building something that needs software close to the metal, I'd love to hear about it. Proudly built in Bellevue.
