Jobs / Architecture and engineering / 17-2061.00
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.
- US jobs
- 76,660
- Median wage
- $161,740 a year
- Job family
- Architecture and engineering
Can agents do the work of computer hardware engineers?
We read the evidence for the whole job family, Architecture and engineering: Some tasks (first measured in the last 12 months)
Agents complete 20% or more of the tasks (or projects) on a direct benchmark.
Evidence: HWE-Bench, 79.9% of tasks completed.
Direct evidence that disagrees: Parametric CAD Bench V3, 9% of tasks fully completed (Perfect tasks).
28% of this occupation's work, by O*NET work activities, is measured by a direct benchmark.
- 18%Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical dataMeasured
- 8%Advise others on business or operational mattersNot measured
- 7%Maintain current knowledge in area of expertiseNot measured
- 7%Communicate with others about specifications or project detailsNot measured
- 6%Design electrical or electronic systems or equipmentMeasured
- 6%Document technical designs, procedures, or activitiesNot measured
- 6%Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipmentNot measured
- 6%Select materials or equipment for operations or projectsNot measured
Benchmarks for this occupation
These benchmarks name this occupation in their job mapping.
Direct evidence
Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in architecture and engineering, not always this occupation's tasks.
Direct evidence
Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.
- 61%Claude Opus 5.5 (max) with Claude Code 2.1.280 · 24 Sep 2026Strong
Also relevant
These benchmarks cover part of this family's work, or have no result yet. They do not set its step.
- 64.8%Claude Code + Opus 5.5 (max) · 6 Oct 2026Strong
Context only
These benchmarks span many occupations, or they test how agents behave. They give context but do not set the step.
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- 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.
- Direct technicians, engineering designers or other technical support personnel as needed.
- Provide technical support to designers, marketing and sales departments, suppliers, engineers and other team members throughout the product development and implementation process.
- Select hardware and material, assuring compliance with specifications and product requirements.
- Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.
- Analyze user needs and recommend appropriate hardware.
- Evaluate factors such as reporting formats required, cost constraints, and need for security restrictions to determine hardware configuration.
Other job titles for this occupation (36)
Design Engineer · Engineer · Field Service Engineer · Hardware Design Engineer · Hardware Engineer · Physical Design Engineer · Project Engineer · Staff Engineer · Systems Integration Engineer · Analog Design Engineer · Analog IC Design Engineer (Analog Integrated Circuit Design Engineer) · Application Specific Integrated Circuit Design Engineer (ASIC Design Engineer) · Application Specific Integrated Circuit Design Verification Engineer (ASIC Design Verification Engineer) · Computer Designer · Computer Engineer · Computer Hardware Designer · Computer Hardware Developer · Computer Hardware Engineer · Computer Installation Engineer · Computer Tester · Computer Vision Engineer · Design Verification Engineer · Digital Design Engineer · Digital Hardware Engineer · Electrical Hardware Engineer · Electronics Engineer · Embedded Hardware Engineer · FPGA Design Engineer (Field Programmable Gate Array Design Engineer) · FPGA Design Engineer (Field Programmable Gate Design Engineer) · FPGA Engineer (Field Programmable Gate Array Engineer) · Hardware Architect · Hardware Development Engineer · Hardware Systems Engineer · Hardware Test Engineer · Microchip Specialist · Signal Integrity Engineer