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How exposed to AI is a Computer Hardware Engineer?

Of the 18 tasks O*NET lists for computer hardware engineers, 3 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 10 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Design EngineerEngineerField Service EngineerHardware Design EngineerHardware EngineerPhysical Design EngineerProject EngineerStaff EngineerSystems Integration Engineer
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
18
tasks rated for this occupation
93%
hold a degree, from a survey of 29
74k
people do this job in the US
50 of 56
least protected in architecture and engineering

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Reachable with a chat window today

3
  • Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process and support hardware introduction
  • Analyze user needs and recommend appropriate hardware
  • Specify power supply requirements and configuration, drawing on system performance expectations and design specifications

Only with software built on top

5
  • Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology
  • Select hardware and material, assuring compliance with specifications and product requirements
  • Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements
  • Evaluate factors such as reporting formats required, cost constraints, and need for security restrictions to determine hardware configuration
  • Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan layout, including type of computers and peripheral equipment modifications

Cannot be sped up

10
  • 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
  • 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
  • Provide training and support to system designers and users
  • Monitor functioning of equipment and make necessary modifications to ensure system operates in conformance with specifications
  • Assemble and modify existing pieces of equipment to meet special needs
  • Recommend purchase of equipment to control dust, temperature, and humidity in area of system installation
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.