The hardware engineering field is expanding faster than many other major industries. In 2022, there were 78,100 hardware engineers employed in the US, with a projected 5% increase in employment by 2032. Cities like Austin, TX, are notably leading this growth. Texas ranked among the top five states for hardware engineering employment, with approximately 4,000 experts statewide in 2022, including 1,380 in Austin.
Within Austin’s hardware engineering scene, several key roles drive the seamless integration, functionality, and reliability of electronic products. Let's look at six essential hardware engineering roles and their significance within modern product engineering teams in Austin.
Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) and Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) engineers form the backbone of electronic system development. ASIC engineers design custom integrated circuits tailored to specific applications, optimizing performance and power efficiency. Alternatively, FPGA engineers leverage reconfigurable hardware to swiftly prototype and iterate designs, offering scalability and flexibility.
Design-for-Test (DFT) engineers focus on ensuring that electronic systems are manufacturable and testable at scale. They integrate testability features into hardware designs, such as scan chains and Built-In Self-Test (BIST) circuits, enabling efficient testing during production.
Hardware Test Engineers specialize in developing and executing comprehensive test plans to validate the functionality, performance, and reliability of electronic systems. They utilize various testing methodologies, including functional testing, boundary scan testing, and stress testing, to ensure product durability.
Register Transfer Level (RTL) emulation engineers focus on verifying and validating hardware designs before fabrication. They use emulation platforms to simulate and debug complex hardware designs at the RTL level, identifying and resolving design issues efficiently.
System-on-Chip (SoC) validation engineers specialize in verifying the functionality and performance of integrated circuits within complex systems. They develop validation plans, conduct extensive testing, and debug issues to ensure SoC designs meet strict requirements.
Integrated Circuit (IC) design and test engineers are responsible for conceiving, designing, and testing complex semiconductor devices. They leverage advanced design tools and methodologies to optimize performance, power efficiency, and manufacturability.
The product engineering scene in Austin is rapidly evolving! Engineers specializing in these six skillsets are highly sought-after and vital for modern product development teams. By leveraging their combined expertise, organizations can create electronic products that are high-quality, reliable, and packed with features, meeting the demands of today's consumers.