firmware In electronic systems and computing, firmware is "the combination of a hardware device, e.g. an integrated circuit, and computer instructions and data that reside as read only software on that device". As a result, firmware usually cannot be modified during normal operation of the device. Typical examples of devices containing firmware are embedded systems (such as traffic lights, consumer appliances, and digital watches), computers, computer peripherals, mobile phones, and digital cameras. The firmware contained in these devices provides the control program for the device. [Wikipedia] firmware software