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Computer Hardware Engineer

Engineering

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.

Electrical EngineeringComputer Science

Picture the job

Where you'd usually workAn electronics bench or lab

  • Mostly indoors
  • Sitting for most of the day
  • Rarely dealing with the public

An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.

In Malaysia

Malaysia's hardware jobs are concentrated in the Penang, Kulim and Johor semiconductor and electronics clusters (e.g. Intel, Dell, Celestica, Benchmark). Most roles are in validation, test, product and hardware-design engineering for multinational products rather than whole-computer design. Local job titles include 'Hardware Design Engineer', 'Electronic Engineer (R&D)' and 'Product Engineer'.

How people get into it here
SPM → Matrikulasi, STPM, Foundation or Diploma → Bachelor's in Electronic, Electrical or Computer Engineering → Graduate Engineer registration with BEM. Semiconductor firms in Penang and Kulim hire many graduates through structured graduate programmes.
Demand
MyCOL 2024/2025 lists Electronic Engineers as a critical occupation. Employers nominated Computer Engineer, Computer Applications Engineer and PCB Design Engineer. TalentCorp MyCOL 2024/2025

Sources:my.jobstreet.comecentral.my

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Aerospace Engineer

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. Typical entry

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationBachelor's degree

Quick answers

How do you become a Computer Hardware Engineer in Malaysia?

SPM → Matrikulasi, STPM, Foundation or Diploma → Bachelor's in Electronic, Electrical or Computer Engineering → Graduate Engineer registration with BEM. Semiconductor firms in Penang and Kulim hire many graduates through structured graduate programmes. Optional registration with Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) is available.

What should I study to become a Computer Hardware Engineer?

Related fields of study: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. SPM subjects that help most: Computer Science / ICT, Electrical & Electronic Eng. Studies, Physics and Additional Mathematics.

How much does a Computer Hardware Engineer earn in Malaysia?

We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Computer Hardware Engineer pay, so we show no figure.

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology.
  2. 2Design and develop computer hardware and support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs), support logic, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits, and printers and disk drives.
  3. 3Confer with engineering staff and consult specifications to evaluate interface between hardware and software and operational and performance requirements of overall system.
  4. 4Build, test, and modify product prototypes, using working models or theoretical models constructed with computer simulation.
  5. 5Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process and support hardware introduction.
  6. 6Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure that they meet specifications and requirements, by recording and analyzing test data.
  7. 7Direct technicians, engineering designers or other technical support personnel as needed.
  8. 8Provide technical support to designers, marketing and sales departments, suppliers, engineers and other team members throughout the product development and implementation process.
  9. 9Select hardware and material, assuring compliance with specifications and product requirements.
  10. 10Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.
  11. 11Analyze user needs and recommend appropriate hardware.
  12. 12Evaluate factors such as reporting formats required, cost constraints, and need for security restrictions to determine hardware configuration.
  13. 13Provide training and support to system designers and users.
  14. 14Monitor functioning of equipment and make necessary modifications to ensure system operates in conformance with specifications.
  15. 15Specify power supply requirements and configuration, drawing on system performance expectations and design specifications.
  16. 16Assemble and modify existing pieces of equipment to meet special needs.
  17. 17Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan layout, including type of computers and peripheral equipment modifications.
  18. 18Recommend purchase of equipment to control dust, temperature, and humidity in area of system installation.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Engineer
  • FPGA Engineer
  • Staff Engineer
  • Computer Tester
  • Design Engineer
  • Project Engineer
  • Computer Designer
  • Computer Engineer
  • Hardware Engineer
  • Hardware Architect

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Computer Science / ICTDraws directly on Computers and Electronics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Electrical & Electronic Eng. StudiesDraws directly on Computers and Electronics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
PhysicsDraws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Computers and Electronics94%

    Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies

  • Engineering and Technology93%

    PhysicsAdditional MathematicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Mathematics83%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Design83%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

  • English Language76%

    English

  • Physics69%

    Physics

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicA little
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentRarely

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

18%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.98%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job, and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

What beginner adverts asked for

We read 90 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.

63 of 90 were internships

Allowance or pay, when stated

RM800 – RM2,800

51 of 90 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM800 and RM2,800 a month. Many print none.

Minimum CGPA asked

2.00 to 3.50

Stated in 8 adverts. Others did not state one.

Languages named

Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin

An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Computer Hardware Engineers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org