AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 17-2061.00
Will AI replace Computer Hardware Engineers?
Computer Hardware Engineers: AI can already handle 8 of 18 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 18 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Computer Hardware Engineers, from most to least exposed. 8 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provide training and support to system designers and users. | Observed | Standard | |
| Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure that they meet specifications and requirements, by recording and analyzing test data. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Provide technical support to designers, marketing and sales departments, suppliers, engineers and other team members throughout the product development and implementation process. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Confer with engineering staff and consult specifications to evaluate interface between hardware and software and operational and performance requirements of overall system. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Evaluate factors such as reporting formats required, cost constraints, and need for security restrictions to determine hardware configuration. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Analyze user needs and recommend appropriate hardware. | Observed | Standard | |
| Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan layout, including type of computers and peripheral equipment modifications. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Recommend purchase of equipment to control dust, temperature, and humidity in area of system installation. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Select hardware and material, assuring compliance with specifications and product requirements. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Monitor functioning of equipment and make necessary modifications to ensure system operates in conformance with specifications. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Design and develop computer hardware and support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs), support logic, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits, and printers and disk drives. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process and support hardware introduction. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Direct technicians, engineering designers or other technical support personnel as needed. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Specify power supply requirements and configuration, drawing on system performance expectations and design specifications. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements. | Observed | Standard | |
| Build, test, and modify product prototypes, using working models or theoretical models constructed with computer simulation. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Assemble and modify existing pieces of equipment to meet special needs. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 4 of 18 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 14 of 18. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 89% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 89% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 11% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 76,660
- Median annual wage
- $161,740
- Middle half of earners
- $126,090 to $202,990
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +7.3%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure55
- Electrical Engineers 68% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure54
- Computer Systems Engineers/Architects 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure58
- Computer and Information Research Scientists 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure47
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure52
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Computer Hardware Engineers and AI
Will AI replace Computer Hardware Engineers?
AI already handles 8 of the 18 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 56 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +7.3% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Computer Hardware Engineers?
56 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 4 of the 18 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 14 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Computer Hardware Engineers tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Provide training and support to system designers and users; Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure that they meet specifications and requirements, by recording and analyzing test data; Provide technical support to designers, marketing and sales departments, suppliers, engineers and other team members throughout the product development and implementation process. They are three of the 8 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 89% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Computer Hardware Engineers, and what do they earn?
76,660 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $161,740 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +7.3% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Computer Hardware Engineers. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/computer-hardware-engineers
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