When people think of artificial intelligence (AI), they often imagine robots, chatbots, or facial recognition. But behind every AI system is the work of computer engineers, designing the hardware, chips, and systems that bring those applications to life.
Computer engineers are the reason your smartphone can recognize your voice or your car can avoid obstacles. They’re designing specialized AI processors like Google’s TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) and Apple’s Neural Engine, which perform complex calculations faster than ever before.
According to IEEE Spectrum, “The performance of AI today is directly tied to the innovation happening in hardware engineering.” For instance, AI models like ChatGPT require thousands of GPUs (graphics processing units) running in massive data centers—built and optimized by computer engineers.Even in education, students are designing systems that integrate AI into real-world use. Teams at Carnegie Mellon University and Georgia Tech have built AI-powered robots that can interact with humans, thanks to advanced embedded systems and real-time data processing designed by student engineers.
Energy efficiency is another area where computer engineering is crucial. Engineers are developing chips that use less power while still running advanced AI programs. This makes AI accessible on devices like smartwatches and home assistants, without draining your battery.
As artificial intelligence gets smarter, it will need even smarter hardware. And computer engineers are the invisible architects making that future possible.
RELATED STORIES:
- https://spectrum.ieee.org/ai-hardware
- https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/data-center/a100/
- https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2023/february/ai-robotics-student-projects.html
- https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/research/overview.html
- https://www.wired.com/story/apple-m1-chip-neural-engine/
TAKE ACTION:
- Join a Computer Engineering Club at IEEE
- Learn AI hardware basics on NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Institute
- Try building your own smart device with Raspberry Pi
- Watch student engineering projects on Hackster.io
- Apply for AI & computer engineering internships via NASA’s Intern Program
