AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineer Salary.
Across 30 U.S. cities.
$208,000
national median salary
$155,000 to $275,000. Last updated April 2026.
Highest Paying
$299,000
San Jose, CA
Best Purchasing Power
$217,000
San Jose, CA
Lowest Paying
$162,000
Charleston, WV
Salary data sourced from SEC filings, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and aggregated job postings across 50+ platforms. Ranges reflect 25th to 75th percentile for full-time positions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated April 2026.
The average AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineer salary in the United States is $208,000 in 2026, with the full range spanning $155,000 at the 25th percentile to $275,000 at the 75th. San Jose pays the most at $299,000, while San Jose 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
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.