AI Deployment of a Bone-Conducted Speech Enhancement solution

OUR STORY At STMicroelectronics, we believe in the power of technology to drive innovation and make a positive impact on people, businesses, and society. As a global semiconductor company, our advanced technologies and chips form the hidden foundation of the world we live in today. When you join ST, you will be part of a global business with more than 115 nationalities, present in 40 countries, and comprising over 50,000 diverse and dedicated creators and makers of technology around the world. Developing technologies takes more than talent: it takes amazing people who understand collaboration and respect. People with passion and the desire to disrupt the status quo, drive innovation, and unlock their own potential. Embark on a journey with us, where you can innovate for a future that we want to make smarter and greener, in a responsible and sustainable way. Our technology starts with you. ABOUT THE PROJECT Speech captured with body-conduction sensors is attractive for wearable devices because it can remain usable in noisy environments and when conventional microphones are not practical. However, this type of signal is typically bandwidth-limited and less intelligible than air-conducted speech, and it often requires speech enhancement to recover both intelligibility and perceived quality. Recent AI-based speech enhancement methods can significantly improve performance but deploying them on wearable hardware remains challenging due to strict constraints on memory, latency, compute, and power consumption. In this internship, the student will work within an R&D team on a prototype bone-conduction earbud equipped with an ST vibrometer and an STM32 microcontroller (MCU). The objective is to optimize and deploy the current AI speech enhancement pipeline so that it can run efficiently and in real time on the target embedded platform. YOUR ROLE You contribute to the development and embedded deployment of a speech enhancement solution for a prototype bone-conduction earbud equipped with an ST vibrometer and an STM32 MCU. You take part in porting the full AI pipeline to the MCU, from preprocessing to inference, by writing the firmware required for a real-time embedded implementation. You also contribute to the embedded AI optimization of the solution, including quantization and other code/model optimizations to make the application robust and efficient on target. You support the validation of the prototype on the earbud platform and help assess memory, latency, and real-time performance constraints. YOUR SKILLS & EXPERIENCES • The candidate is currently pursuing, or has recently completed, a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electronic Engineering, or a related technical field • Programming skills in C and Python • Basic knowledge of digital signal processing and neural networks • Strong interest in embedded AI and TinyML • Experience with STM32 microcontrollers or embedded firmware development is a plus • Familiarity with quantization, model optimization, or real-time inference is a plus ST is proud to be one of the 17 companies certified as a 2025 Global Top Employer and the first and only semiconductor company to achieve this distinction. ST was recognized in this ranking thanks to its continuous improvement approach and stands out particularly in the areas of ethics & integrity, purpose & values, organization & change, business strategy, and performance. At ST, we endeavor to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we do not tolerate discrimination. We aim to recruit and retain a diverse workforce that reflects the societies around us. We strive for equity in career development, career opportunities, and equal remuneration. We encourage candidates who may not meet every single requirement to apply, as we appreciate diverse perspectives and provide opportunities for growth and learning. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is woven into our company culture. To discover more, visit st.com/careers.