Career Explorer Engineering and architecture
Grows with AI
Computer hardware engineers
Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. May supervise the manufacturing and installation of computer or computer-related equipment and components.
Changing faster than most: more resilient than 26% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is very high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it very high), and US jobs are projected to change by +9.1% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on creative vision.
AI can help with many of the tasks, and demand is still growing. Being fluent with AI is the edge here.
- Median pay (2025)
- $161,740
- Job growth to 2035
- +9.1%
- Openings a year
- 4,100
- People doing it (2025)
- 76,100
- Usual route in
- Bachelor's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical data
- Advise others on products or services
- Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Design electrical or electronic systems or equipment
- Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment
- Supervise personnel activities
What the work looks like
- Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology.
- Design and develop computer hardware and support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs), support logic, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits, and printers and disk drives.
- Confer with engineering staff and consult specifications to evaluate interface between hardware and software and operational and performance requirements of overall system.
- Build, test, and modify product prototypes, using working models or theoretical models constructed with computer simulation.
- Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process and support hardware introduction.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Mechanical engineersGrows with AI, Index 38, +11.2%
- Materials engineersGrows with AI, Index 61, +7.5%
- Bioengineers and biomedical engineersGrows with AI, Index 28, +7.6%
- Computer and information research scientistsGrows with AI, Index 41, +21.8%
Also known as: Design Engineer, Engineer, Hardware Engineer, Systems Integration Engineer, Field Service Engineer, Hardware Design Engineer, Physical Design Engineer, Project Engineer.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.