Summer 2025 Intern, ML & Wafer Defect Inspection

Company Description

At Western Digital, our vision is to power global innovation and push the boundaries of technology to make what you thought was once impossible, possible.

At our core, Western Digital is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, we’ve been doing just that—our technology helped people put a man on the moon and capture the first-ever picture of a black hole.

We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, HDDs, and platforms for business, creative professionals, and consumers alike under our Western Digital®, WD®, WD_BLACK™, and SanDisk® Professional brands.

We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest-growth organizations in the world. From enabling systems to make cities safer and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world’s biggest companies and hyperscale cloud providers, to meeting the massive and ever-growing data storage needs of the AI era, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future.

Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. Together, we can build the future of data storage.

Job Description

We are looking for a highly motivated Summer Intern to apply commercial machine learning applications in a cutting-edge 24/7 wafer production fab. You will assist a primary engineer in tackling real-world challenges by analyzing large-scale image and data sets to detect and report defects, contributing to the optimization of semiconductor manufacturing processes.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Utilize a commercial machine learning application [Cognex] to analyze & flag wafer defects.
• Work closely with engineers to troubleshoot and resolve real production issues using data-driven insights.
• Process and interpret large amounts of image and data sets for defect classification and reporting, working with existing standard industrial processing/data flow architecture/infrastructure.
• Assist in optimizing automated metrology and inspection workflows.
• Document key findings and present recommendations to improve defect detection efficiency.

With this internship you will gain: 

• Hands-on experience in AI-driven defect inspection in semiconductor manufacturing.
• Exposure to real-world applications of machine learning in a high-tech fab.
• Ability to solve real problems in a leading-edge wafer fab with large-scale of data/image flow.
• Mentorship from industry professionals in metrology and automatic inspection.
• The opportunity to contribute to process improvement and defect reduction strategies.

Qualifications

REQUIRED

• Pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a STEM field (Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Physics, etc.) with a graduation date between December 2025-June 2026.

SKILLS

• Strong analytical skills and ability to work with complex datasets.
• Completed coursework in Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Learning (ML).
• A fast learner who can quickly adapt to new environments and technologies.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-tech manufacturing setting.

Additional Information

Western Digital is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on their race, color, ancestry, religion (including religious dress and grooming standards), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender (including a person’s gender identity, gender expression, and gender-related appearance and behavior, whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth), age, national origin, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital status (including domestic partnership status), physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, protected medical and family care leave, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. We also prohibit harassment of any individual on any of the characteristics listed above. Our non-discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment. We comply with the laws and regulations set forth in the "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster. Our pay transparency policy is available here.

Western Digital thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the f