Location:Santa Clara, California, United States
Job ID:R0144505
Date Posted:2026-09-09
Company Name:HITACHI AMERICA, LTD.
Profession (Job Category):Administration & Facilities
Job Schedule: Full time
Remote:No
Job Description:Title: Research Intern, Hardware Implementation and Validation (Energy Storage and Power Electronics)
Company: Hitachi America
Division: R&D | Strategic Solution Lab
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Status: Full time, 3-6 month internship
SummaryAI training and inference clusters produce large, fast, synchronized power swings. A single GPU rack can move more than half of its rated load in milliseconds, and when hundreds of racks move together the effect reaches the facility boundary and the grid. We are developing a
hybrid energy storage system for data centers to protect upstream infrastructure and increase usable capacity.
We are seeking a
Research Intern (Hardware Implementation and Validation) to take this system from design to hardware. You will own the implementation and validation of the storage system and its controllers, compare the design's predicted behavior against what the hardware actually does, and feed the differences back into the design. Where the measurements show that the architecture, sizing, or control law needs to change, you will propose and implement the change. This is a hands-on engineering role with a research component. Results are expected to be reported internally and, where appropriate, to feed conference publications and standards discussions.
Job Responsibilities- Build, commission, and safely operate a bench-scale hybrid energy storage system (batteries, supercapacitors, bidirectional DC/DC converters, common DC bus) with programmable loads and a real-time control platform.
- Implement power-split and energy management controllers on real-time hardware and evaluate candidate control strategies head-to-head under repeatable transient test profiles.
- Design and execute a validation campaign: define test cases from realistic load traces, instrument the bench at the required time resolution, and measure response time, bus voltage deviation, energy split, and state-of-charge behavior.
- Compare measured results against simulation models, identify where the models are incomplete (converter dynamics, sensing and communication latency, storage non idealities), and update them.
- Recommend and implement design updates to storage sizing, converter control bandwidth, and the interface between fast local control loops and the supervisory controller.
- Document hardware, test procedures, and findings so the work can be reproduced and extended.
- Communicate results via technical reports, presentations, and contributions to publications and patents as appropriate.
A Day in the Life - Align with technical leads on build milestones, test plans, and success metrics.
- Work in the lab wiring, commissioning, and debugging converters, storage modules, and instrumentation.
- Deploy a control design from simulation to the real-time target and run it against transient test profiles.
- Analyze measurement data, compare it with model predictions, and propose the next design or model change.
- Present progress through demos, written updates, and research discussions.
Requirements- Currently enrolled in a PhD program (preferred) or MS program in Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, or a related field.
- Solid fundamentals in power systems and power electronics: DC/DC converter topologies and control, DC bus dynamics, and protection.
- Experience with battery and supercapacitor energy storage, including electrical and thermal characteristics, state-of-charge estimation, and safe handling and testing practices.
- Experience with control of power converters or energy storage systems: classical loop design, droop control, and exposure to model predictive control or other optimization-based methods.
- Hands-on laboratory experience building, commissioning, and debugging kilowatt scale power hardware, including use of oscilloscopes, power analyzers, and programmable loads or sources.
- Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink and Python, and the ability to move a control design from simulation to a real-time target.
- Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across disciplines.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience with real-time platforms such as Typhoon HIL, dSPACE, OPAL-RT, Speedgoat, or equivalent.
- Experience with hybrid energy storage systems (battery plus supercapacitor) or microgrid energy management.
- Familiarity with data center power distribution (UPS, PDU, 48 V and high-voltage DC rack buses) and relevant standards such as IEEE 1159, IEEE 1547, or OCP Open Rack specifications.
- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop validation and model calibration against measured data.
- Experience with embedded C or converter firmware.
- Track record of publications, thesis work, or applied prototypes in power electronics, energy storage control, or DC microgrids.
Why This Role- Own a complete build, measure, and redesign loop on a system aimed at one of the fastest-growing power engineering problems in industry.
- Work in a purpose-built innovation lab with high-resolution power measurement and a full energy storage stack.
- Collaborate with a research-driven team spanning power hardware, controls, and machine learning, with real deployment pathways.
