AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineer Salary.
Across 81 U.S. cities.
$155,000
estimated national base salary
$110,000 to $190,000. Last updated September 2026.
Orbyt prices 7 titles at this same figure, including AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineer, AI Hardware Engineer, and AI Chip Designer. Orbyt does not hold title-level wage data that would separate them.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $161,740 for Computer Hardware Engineers (SOC 17-2061) across the United States, based on 76,660 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$92,940
25th percentile
$126,090
Median
$161,740
75th percentile
$202,990
90th percentile
$225,330
Workers surveyed
76,660
What BLS published in each release
May 2024 release
$155,020
May 2025 release
$161,740
These are two separate published estimates, not a time series. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not encourage the use of OEWS data for time-series analysis. Differences between releases reflect changes in occupational classification, survey methodology, and the three-year pooled sample as well as any change in pay, so the two figures should not be read as a rate of wage growth.
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Computer Hardware Engineers (SOC 17-2061) rather than AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineer specifically. The national range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 17-2061Highest Paying
$222,000
San Jose, CA
Best Purchasing Power
$162,000
Honolulu, HI
Lowest Paying
$121,000
Charleston, WV
The salary figures on this page are computed estimates, not observed wages. Each one is a national role baseline scaled by a Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity cost-of-living multiplier (2025 index) and rounded to the nearest $1,000. No published wage percentile is consulted and no wage survey response enters the calculation, so an Orbyt estimate must not be cited as a Bureau of Labor Statistics figure or as measured pay. The published wage data Orbyt holds is Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and Department of Labor H-1B Labor Condition Application filings, which record a filed minimum visa base wage rather than market pay. Where BLS publishes a wage for the occupation a role maps to, it is shown on that role's page as a separate benchmark, labelled with its occupation code, metro area and the number of employed workers it covers. Last updated September 2026. This role maps to BLS occupation code 17-2061. Full methodology.
Orbyt estimates the average AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineer salary in the United States at $155,000 in 2026, within a range of $110,000 to $190,000. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page. This figure is not specific to this title: Orbyt prices 7 titles at the same estimate. San Jose is the highest of the 81 cities at $222,000, while Honolulu offers the best purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustments. Pay reflects deep expertise in ASIC or FPGA design optimized for neural network inference.
AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineer salary by city.
Skills that increase AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineer pay.
The premiums below are Orbyt's modelled scenarios for AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineers, not effects measured from job postings: each is a fixed percentage applied to the estimated base. At the top premium that works out to $21,700 a year.
≈ +$21,700 per year
≈ +$20,150 per year
≈ +$18,600 per year
≈ +$17,050 per year
≈ +$15,500 per year
≈ +$15,500 per year
≈ +$15,500 per year
≈ +$13,950 per year
What you should know.
Pay reflects deep expertise in ASIC or FPGA design optimized for neural network inference. Engineers with tape-out experience and knowledge of transformer-specific architectures command top compensation. Geographic concentration in Silicon Valley and Austin inflates salaries 10% to 20% above national averages.
Entry-level chip design engineers start near $155,000 on verification and testing. Mid-level engineers owning functional blocks earn $200,000 to $230,000. Principal architects defining next-generation AI accelerator microarchitectures reach $275,000 to $350,000 at leading firms.
Equity at AI chip startups can represent 30% to 50% of total compensation. RSU grants at established semiconductor firms vest over four years, with annual refreshers adding $50,000 to $100,000 in value.
Total compensation breakdown.
Salary by company size
Remote salary adjustment
Remote AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineers typically earn $144,000 (7% less than on-site). This reflects location-adjusted pay policies at companies using geographic salary bands. Some companies pay flat national rates regardless of location.
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Common questions about AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineer pay.
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