Computer Hardware Engineers
Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.
Computer Hardware Engineers research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. The role reports a median annual salary of $155,020 in the US with the middle 80% earning between $80,190 and $214,930 and is projected to grow 7% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.53 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Active Learning, Reading Comprehension, Systems Analysis.
Salary distribution (US)
Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £52,518 a year for Electronics engineers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2124). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Computer Hardware Engineers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Entrance exam JEE Main (Paper 1) for B.E./B.Tech; top JEE Main scorers can sit JEE Advanced for IITs; IIT/NIT/IIIT seats allotted via JoSAA[1][2][3]
- 2 · Qualification B.Tech / B.E. in Electronics / Computer Science and Engineering (4 years) at an IIT, NIT or AICTE-approved college[4][3][5]
- 3 · Entrance exam GATE for M.Tech admission or for recruitment by public sector undertakings (PSUs) that use GATE scores[6]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- JEE (Main) — National Testing Agency (read on 2026-09-27)
- JEE (Advanced) 2026 — Eligibility criteria (read on 2026-09-27)
- JEE (Advanced) 2026 Information Brochure (read on 2026-09-27)
- AICTE — Model Curriculum (Diploma, UG, PG) (read on 2026-09-27)
- AICTE — Approval Process Handbook 2024-25 to 2026-27 (read on 2026-09-27)
- GATE 2027 — IIT Madras (organising institute) (read on 2026-09-27)
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
6 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Computers and Electronics
- Engineering and Technology
- Design
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Telecommunications
- Physics
- Production and Processing
A day in the life
You start your morning in the lab reviewing overnight test results from a prototype circuit board, checking oscilloscope readings and thermal data to see if your latest design revision passes validation. Your day alternates between schematic design in EDA tools like Cadence or Altium, hands-on bench work soldering and probing components, and design-review meetings with firmware engineers and product managers who need your hardware to meet tight power and performance specs. You troubleshoot signal-integrity issues, pore over datasheets from chip vendors, and sometimes visit manufacturing partners to resolve yield problems on the production line. The thrill of powering on a board you designed from scratch is unmatched, but the long lead times for silicon and the painstaking debugging of intermittent hardware faults require serious patience.
Illustrative: one typical day. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- 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.
- Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure that they meet specifications and requirements, by recording and analyzing test data.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Computer Hardware Engineers do?
Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.
What does a typical day look like in Computer Hardware Engineers?
You start your morning in the lab reviewing overnight test results from a prototype circuit board, checking oscilloscope readings and thermal data to see if your latest design revision passes validation. Your day alternates between schematic design in EDA tools like Cadence or Altium, hands-on bench work soldering and probing components, and design-review meetings with firmware engineers and product managers who need your hardware to meet tight power and performance specs.
How much does Computer Hardware Engineers earn?
The median annual salary for Computer Hardware Engineers in the US is $155,020. The middle 80% of workers earn between $80,190 and $214,930 annually. Entry-to-mid-career earners typically fall between $104,200 and $172,750.
What is the job outlook for Computer Hardware Engineers?
The role is projected to grow 7% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 76,800 workers.
How do I become computer hardware engineers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Computer Hardware Engineers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Active Learning, Reading Comprehension, Systems Analysis, Judgment and Decision Making. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Computer Hardware Engineers?
Our AI-durability model gives Computer Hardware Engineers a score of 0.53 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Computer Hardware Engineers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.