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{{Short description|Engineering discipline specializing in the design of computer hardware}}
{{Distinguish|Computational engineering}}
{{Redirect|Hardware engineering|engineering other types of hardware|Mechanical engineering}}

{{pp-pc1}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox occupation
| employment_field = Science, technology, engineering, industry, military, exploration
| type             = [[Engineering]]
| official_names   = Computer engineer
| competencies     = Technical knowledge, hardware design, software design, advanced mathematics, systems design, abstract thinking, analytical thinking
| specialty        = Hardware engineering, software engineering, hardware-software interaction, robotics, networking
| activity_sector  = Electronics, telecommunications, signal processing, computer hardware, software
}}

'''Computer engineering''' ('''CE''',{{efn|group="n"|Before the era of computers, C.E. could also mean "[[Chartered (professional)|Chartered]] Engineer"; "inst. CE" would have meant "[[Institution of Civil Engineers]]".}} '''CoE''', '''CpE''', or '''CompE''') is a branch of [[engineering]] specialized in developing [[computer hardware]] and [[software]].<ref>{{Cite book |date=15 December 2016 |title=Computer Engineering Curricula 2016: CE2016: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Engineering |url=https://www.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/education/ce2016-final-report.pdf |last = IEEE Computer Society |author-link = IEEE Computer Society |author2 = ACM |author-link2 = Association for Computing Machinery |doi=10.1145/3025098|doi-broken-date=July 1, 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book
 |last         = IEEE Computer Society
 |author-link  = IEEE Computer Society
 |author2      = ACM
 |author-link2 = Association for Computing Machinery
 |title        = Computer Engineering 2004: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Engineering
 |url          = https://www.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/education/curricula-recommendations/ce-final-report.pdf
 |access-date  = December 17, 2024
 |date         = December 12, 2004
 |page         = iii
 |quote        = Computer System engineering has traditionally been viewed as a combination of both electronic engineering (EE) and computer science (CS).
 |archive-date = June 12, 2019
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20190612130313/https://www.acm.org/education/education/curric_vols/CE-Final-Report.pdf
}}</ref> 
{{Template:Engineering side bar}}
It integrates several fields of [[electrical engineering]], [[electronics engineering]] and [[computer science]]. Computer engineering may be referred to as ''Electrical and Computer Engineering'' or ''[[Computer Science and Engineering]]'' at some universities.

Computer engineers require training in hardware-software integration, [[software design]], and [[software engineering]]. It can encompass areas such as [[electromagnetism]], [[artificial intelligence|artificial intelligence (AI)]], [[robotics]], [[computer network|computer networks]], [[computer architecture]] and [[operating system]]s. Computer engineers are involved in many hardware and software aspects of [[computing]], from the design of individual [[microcontroller]]s, [[microprocessor]]s, [[personal computer]]s, and [[supercomputer]]s, to [[circuit design]]. This field of engineering not only focuses on how computer systems themselves work, but also on how to integrate them into the larger picture.<ref>{{Cite web
 | last = Trinity College Dublin
 | url = http://www.tcd.ie/Engineering/about/what_is_eng/computer_eng_intro.html
 | title = What is Computer System Engineering
 | access-date = April 21, 2006
}} "Computer engineers need not only to understand how computer systems themselves work but also how they integrate into the larger picture. Consider the car. A modern car contains many separate computer systems for controlling such things as the engine timing, the brakes, and the airbags. To be able to design and implement such a car, the computer engineer needs a broad theoretical understanding of all these various subsystems & how they interact.</ref> [[Robotics]] are one of the applications of computer engineering.

Computer engineering usually deals with areas including [[software programming|writing software]] and [[firmware]] for [[embedded system|embedded]] [[microcontroller]]s, designing [[very-large-scale integration|VLSI]] [[integrated circuit|chips]], [[analog device|analog]] [[sensor]]s, [[mixed-signal integrated circuit|mixed signal]] [[circuit board]]s, [[thermodynamics]] and [[control engineering|control system]]s. Computer engineers are also suited for [[robotics]] research, which relies heavily on using [[digital systems]] to control and monitor [[electrical systems]] like [[electric motor|motor]]s, [[computer-mediated communication|communications]], and [[sensor]]s.

In many institutions of higher learning, computer engineering students are allowed to choose areas of in-depth study in their junior and senior years because the full breadth of knowledge used in the design and application of computers is beyond the scope of an [[undergraduate degree]]. Other institutions may require [[engineering student]]s to complete one or two years of [[Engineering|general engineering]] before declaring computer engineering as their primary focus.<ref>{{cite web|title=Changing Majors @ Clemson| url=http://www.registrar.clemson.edu/html/changeMjr_Curr.htm |publisher=Clemson University |access-date=September 20, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Declaring a College of Engineering Major |url=http://freshmanengineering.uark.edu/2041.php |publisher=University of Arkansas |access-date=September 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012182736/http://freshmanengineering.uark.edu/2041.php |archive-date=October 12, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Degree Requirements| url=http://www.cmu.edu/me/undergraduate/degree-requirements.html |publisher=Carnegie Mellon University |access-date=September 20, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.uca.edu.ar/index.php/site/index/es/uca/facultad-de-ciencias-fisicomatematicas-e-ingenieria/alumnos/programas-de-materias/cc1y2/ | title=Programas de Materias |language=es |publisher=Universidad Católica Argentina}}</ref>
[[File:STM32F100C4T6B-HD.jpg|thumb|A [[die shot]] of an [[STM32]] [[Microcontroller]]. This chip is both designed by computer engineers and is utilized by them to make other systems]]

==History==
[[File:Babbage Difference Engine.jpg|thumb|The [[Difference engine|Difference Engine]], the first mechanical computer]]
[[File:Glen Beck and Betty Snyder program the ENIAC in building 328 at the Ballistic Research Laboratory.jpg|thumb|[[ENIAC]], the first electronic computer]]
Computer engineering began in 1939 when [[John Vincent Atanasoff]] and [[Clifford Berry]] began developing the world's first electronic [[digital computer]] through [[physics]], [[mathematics]], and [[electrical engineering]]. John Vincent Atanasoff was once a physics and mathematics teacher for [[Iowa State University]] and Clifford Berry a former graduate under electrical engineering and physics. Together, they created the [[Atanasoff–Berry computer]], also known as the ABC which took five years to complete.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~td2177/JVAtanasoff/JVAtanasoff.html|title=John Vincent Atanasoff - the father of the computer|website=www.columbia.edu|access-date=2017-12-05}}</ref>
While the original ABC was dismantled and discarded in the 1940s, a tribute was made to the late inventors; a replica of the ABC was made in 1997, where it took a team of researchers and engineers four years and $350,000 to build.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2009/dec/abc|title=Iowa State replica of first electronic digital computer going to Computer History Museum - News Service - Iowa State University|website=www.news.iastate.edu|language=en-us|access-date=2017-12-05}}</ref>

The modern [[personal computer]] emerged in the 1970s, after several breakthroughs in [[semiconductor]] technology. These include the first working [[transistor]] by [[William Shockley]], [[John Bardeen]] and [[Walter Brattain]] at [[Bell Labs]] in 1947,<ref>{{cite web |title=1947: Invention of the Point-Contact Transistor |url=https://www.computerhistory.org/siliconengine/invention-of-the-point-contact-transistor/ |website=The Silicon Engine |publisher=[[Computer History Museum]] |access-date=9 October 2019}}</ref> in 1955, silicon dioxide surface passivation by [[Carl Frosch]] and Lincoln Derick,<ref>{{Cite patent|number=US2802760A|title=Oxidation of semiconductive surfaces for controlled diffusion|gdate=1957-08-13|invent1=Lincoln|invent2=Frosch|inventor1-first=Derick|inventor2-first=Carl J.|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US2802760A}}</ref> the first planar silicon dioxide transistors by Frosch and Derick in 1957,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Frosch |first1=C. J. |last2=Derick |first2=L |date=1957 |title=Surface Protection and Selective Masking during Diffusion in Silicon |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1.2428650 |journal=Journal of the Electrochemical Society |language=en |volume=104 |issue=9 |pages=547 |doi=10.1149/1.2428650|url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[planar process]] by [[Jean Hoerni]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lojek |first1=Bo |title=History of Semiconductor Engineering |date=2007 |publisher=[[Springer Science & Business Media]] |isbn=9783540342588 |pages=120 & 321–323}}</ref><ref name="Bassett46">{{cite book |last1=Bassett |first1=Ross Knox |title=To the Digital Age: Research Labs, Start-up Companies, and the Rise of MOS Technology |date=2007 |publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]] |isbn=9780801886393 |page=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UUbB3d2UnaAC&pg=PA46}}</ref><ref>{{patent|US|3025589|Hoerni, J. A.: "Method of Manufacturing Semiconductor Devices” filed May 1, 1959}}</ref> the [[monolithic integrated circuit]] chip by [[Robert Noyce]] at [[Fairchild Semiconductor]] in 1959,<ref name="Saxena140">{{cite book |last1=Saxena |first1=Arjun N. |title=Invention of Integrated Circuits: Untold Important Facts |date=2009 |publisher=[[World Scientific]] |isbn=9789812814456 |page=140 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-3lpDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA140}}</ref> the [[MOSFET|metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor]] (MOSFET, or MOS transistor) demonstrated by a team at Bell Labs in 1960<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lojek |first=Bo |title=History of Semiconductor Engineering |date=2007 |publisher=Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg |isbn=978-3-540-34258-8 |location=Berlin, Heidelberg |page=321}}</ref> and the single-chip [[microprocessor]] ([[Intel 4004]]) by [[Federico Faggin]], [[Marcian Hoff]], [[Masatoshi Shima]] and [[Stanley Mazor]] at [[Intel]] in 1971.<ref name="computerhistory1971">{{cite web |title=1971: Microprocessor Integrates CPU Function onto a Single Chip |url=https://www.computerhistory.org/siliconengine/microprocessor-integrates-cpu-function-onto-a-single-chip/ |website=[[Computer History Museum]] |access-date=22 July 2019}}</ref>

===History of computer engineering education===
The first computer engineering degree program in the United States was established in 1971 at [[Case Western Reserve University]] in [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=https://engineering.case.edu/about/history |website=engineering.case.edu |date=January 5, 2017 |publisher=Case School of Engineering}}</ref> {{As of|2015}}, there were 250 [[ABET]]-accredited computer engineering programs in the U.S.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Find an ABET-Accredited Program {{!}} ABET|url = http://main.abet.org/aps/accreditedprogramsearch.aspx|website = main.abet.org|access-date = 2015-11-29}}</ref> In Europe, accreditation of computer engineering schools is done by a variety of agencies as part of the [[EQANIE]] network. Due to increasing job requirements for engineers who can concurrently design hardware, [[software]], firmware, and manage all forms of computer systems used in industry, some tertiary institutions around the world offer a [[bachelor's degree]] generally called computer engineering. Both computer engineering and [[electronic engineering]] programs include analog and digital circuit design in their curriculum. As with most engineering disciplines, having a sound knowledge of [[mathematics]] and science is necessary for computer engineers.

==Education==
Computer engineering is referred to as [[computer science and engineering]] at some universities. Most entry-level computer engineering jobs require at least a bachelor's degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering or computer science. Typically one must learn an array of [[mathematics]] such as [[calculus]], [[linear algebra]] and [[differential equation]]s, along with [[computer science]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://engineering.utdallas.edu/academics/undergraduate-majors/undergrad-advising/current-students/|website=The University of Texas at Dallas|date=January 8, 2024|title=Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science}}</ref> Degrees in [[electronic engineering|electronic]] or [[Electrical engineering|electric engineering]] also suffice due to the similarity of the two fields. Because hardware engineers commonly work with computer software systems, a strong background in computer programming is necessary. According to BLS, "''a computer engineering major is similar to electrical engineering but with some computer science courses added to the curriculum''".<ref name="CHE">{{cite web|url=http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/computer-hardware-engineers.htm|title=Computer Hardware Engineers|date=January 8, 2014|publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics|access-date=July 20, 2012}}</ref> Some large firms or specialized jobs require a master's degree.

It is also important for computer engineers to keep up with rapid advances in [[technology]]. Therefore, many continue learning throughout their careers. This can be helpful, especially when it comes to learning new skills or improving existing ones. For example, as the relative cost of fixing a [[Bug (programming)|bug]] increases the further along it is in the software development cycle, there can be greater cost savings attributed to developing and testing for quality code as soon as possible in the process, particularly before release.<ref name="The cost of fixing a bug">{{cite web|url=http://www.feabhas.com/sites/default/files/uploads/News/Feabhas_Infographic_FINAL.pdf|title=Feabhas_Infographic_FINAL|website=feabhas}}</ref>

==Applications and practice==
{{Globalize|section|USA|2name=the United States|date=July 2018}}

There are two major focuses in computer engineering: hardware and software.

===Computer hardware engineering===
{{Main|Hardware architect}}
According to the United States [[Bureau of Labor Statistics|BLS]], the current job outlook employment for computer hardware engineers, the expected ten-year growth from 2024 to 2034 is 7%. However, 2019 to 2029 for computer hardware engineering was an estimated 2% and a total of 71,100 jobs. ("''Slower than average''" in their own words when compared to other occupations)".<ref name="hweng">{{cite web|url=http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/computer-hardware-engineers.htm|title=Computer Hardware Engineers: Occupational Outlook Handbook|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}}</ref><ref> https://futurism.com/computer-science-majors-high-unemployment-rate </ref> This is a decrease from the 2014 to 2024 BLS computer hardware engineering estimate of 3% and a total of 77,700 jobs; "''and is down from 7% for the 2012 to 2022 BLS estimate and is further down from 9% in the BLS 2010 to 2020 estimate.''"<ref name="hweng" /> Today, computer hardware is somewhat equal{{clarify|date=June 2019}} to electronic and computer engineering (ECE) and has been divided into many subcategories, the most significant{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} being [[Embedded system|embedded system design]].<ref name = "CHE" />

===Computer software engineering===
According to the U.S. [[Bureau of Labor Statistics]] (BLS), "''computer applications software engineers and computer systems software engineers the current growth projections for 2024 to 2034 is 15%. This is close to the 2014 to 2024 growth for computer software engineering was an estimated 17% and there was a total of 1,114,000 jobs that same year.<ref name="softdev">{{cite web|url=http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm|title=Software Developers: Occupational Outlook Handbook|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}}</ref> This is down from the 2012 to 2022 BLS estimate of 22% for software developers.<ref name = "C.S.E.">{{cite web |title=Computer Software Engineer |url=http://www.bls.gov/k12/computers04.htm |publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics |date=March 19, 2010 |access-date=July 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726002354/http://www.bls.gov/k12/computers04.htm |archive-date=July 26, 2013}}</ref><ref name="softdev" /> And, further down from the 30% 2010 to 2020 BLS estimate.<ref name = "CSE2">{{cite web |title=Software Developers |url=http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm |date=January 8, 2014 |publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics |access-date=July 21, 2012}}</ref> In addition, growing concerns over cybersecurity add up to put computer software engineering high above the average rate of increase for all fields. However, some of the work will be outsourced in foreign countries.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-08-04/big-tech-wants-you-to-believe-america-has-a-skills-gap|title=Tech Companies Want You to Believe America Has a Skills Gap|newspaper=Bloomberg |date=August 4, 2020}}</ref> Due to this, job growth will not be as fast as during the last decade, as jobs that would have gone to computer software engineers in the United States would instead go to computer software engineers in countries such as India.<ref name="bls.gov">{{cite web|url=http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-programmers.htm|title=Computer Programmers: Occupational Outlook Handbook|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}}</ref> In addition, the BLS job outlook for Computer Programmers, 2014–24 has an −8% (a decline, in their words),<ref name="bls.gov"/> then a job outlook, 2019-29 of -9% (Decline),<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-programmers.htm|title=Computer Programmers : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|website=www.bls.gov}}</ref> then a 10% decline for 2021-2031<ref name="ReferenceA"/> and now an 11% decline for 2022-2032<ref name="ReferenceA"/> for those who program computers (i.e. embedded systems) who are not computer application developers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/archive/publication.htm#regional-reports|title=Archive By Publication : Beyond the Numbers: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|website=www.bls.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.designnews.com/design-hardware-software/soon-be-extinct-embedded-software-engineer|title=The Soon-to-Be-Extinct Embedded Software Engineer|date=May 10, 2018|website=designnews.com}}</ref> Furthermore, women in software fields has been declining over the years even faster than other engineering fields.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://developers.hp.com/public/blog/hp-international-womens-week-women-computer-science-dropping-1980s|title=hp's Developer Portal &#124; HP International Women's Week: Women in Computer Science dropping since 1980s|website=developers.hp.com}}</ref>

==Specialty areas==
There are many specialty areas in the field of computer engineering.

===Processor design===
{{Main article|Processor design}}
[[Processor (computing)|Processor]] design process involves choosing an [[Instruction set architecture|instruction set]] and a certain execution paradigm (e.g. [[VLIW]] or [[RISC]]) and results in a [[microarchitecture]], which might be described in e.g. [[VHDL]] or [[Verilog]]. [[Central processing unit|CPU]] design is divided into design of the following components: [[Datapath|datapaths]] (such as [[Arithmetic logic unit|ALUs]] and [[Pipeline (computing)|pipelines]]), control unit: logic which controls the datapaths, [[Computer memory|memory]] components such as [[Register file|register files]], [[Cache (computing)|caches]], clock circuitry such as clock drivers, PLLs, clock distribution networks, pad transceiver circuitry, logic gate cell library which is used to implement the logic.

===Coding, cryptography, and information protection===
{{Main article|Information security}}
[[File:Source code in C.png|thumb|[[Source code]] written in the [[C (programming language)|C]] programming language]]
Computer engineers work in coding, applied cryptography, and information protection to develop new methods for protecting various information, such as [[Digital image|digital images]] and [[Digital Music|music]], fragmentation, [[copyright infringement]] and other forms of tampering by, for example, [[digital watermarking]].<ref name="SCCC">{{cite web |title=Computer Engineering Overview |url=http://www.careercornerstone.org/pdf/compeng/compeng.pdf |publisher=Sloan Career Cornerstone Center |access-date=July 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916035940/http://www.careercornerstone.org/pdf/compeng/compeng.pdf |archive-date=September 16, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Communications and wireless networks===
{{Main article|Communications networks|Wireless network}}
Those focusing on communications and wireless networks, work advancements in telecommunications systems and networks (especially wireless networks), modulation and error-control coding, and information theory. High-speed [[network planning and design|network design]], interference suppression and modulation, design, and analysis of [[fault-tolerant system]], and storage and transmission schemes are all a part of this specialty.<ref name = "SCCC"/>

===Compilers and operating systems===
{{Main article|Compiler|Operating system}}
[[File:Windows10abstract.png|thumb|Windows 10, an example of an [[operating system]]]]
This specialty focuses on [[compiler]]s and [[operating system]]s design and development. Engineers in this field develop new operating system architecture, program analysis techniques, and new techniques to assure quality. Examples of work in this field include post-link-time code transformation [[algorithm]] development and new operating system development.<ref name="SCCC" />

===Computational science and engineering===
{{Main article|Computational science|Computational engineering}}
Computational science and engineering is a relatively new discipline. According to the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, individuals working in this area, "''computational methods are applied to formulate and solve complex mathematical problems in engineering and the physical and the social sciences. Examples include aircraft design, the plasma processing of nanometer features on semiconductor wafers, [[VLSI]] circuit design, radar detection systems, ion transport through biological channels, and much more''".<ref name="SCCC" />

===Computer networks, mobile computing, and distributed systems===
{{Main article|Computer network|Mobile computing|Distributed computing}}
In this specialty, engineers build integrated environments for computing, communications, and [[information access]]. Examples include shared-channel wireless networks, [[Adaptive management|adaptive resource management]] in various systems, and improving the quality of service in [[Mobile technology|mobile]] and ATM environments. Some other examples include work on [[Wireless network|wireless network systems]] and fast [[Ethernet]] cluster wired systems.<ref name="SCCC" />

===Computer systems: architecture, parallel processing, and dependability===
{{Main article|Computer architecture|Parallel computing|Dependability}}
[[File:Intel 80486DX2 bottom.jpg|thumb|An example of a computer CPU]]
Engineers working in computer systems work on research projects that allow for reliable, secure, and high-performance computer systems. Projects such as designing processors for [[Multithreading (computer architecture)|multithreading]] and [[Parallel processing (computing)|parallel processing]] are included in this field. Other examples of work in this field include the development of new theories, [[Algorithm|algorithms]], and other tools that add [[Computer performance|performance]] to computer systems.<ref name="SCCC" />

Computer architecture includes [[CPU design]], [[cache hierarchy]] layout, [[memory organization]], and [[Load balancing (computing)|load balancing]].

===Computer vision and robotics===
{{Main article|Computer vision|Robotics}}
[[File:Humanoid Robot (1) ITB 2017.JPG|thumb|An example of a [[humanoid]] robot]]
In this specialty, computer engineers focus on developing [[Visual sensor network|visual sensing technology]] to sense an environment, representation of an environment, and manipulation of the environment. The gathered three-dimensional information is then implemented to perform a variety of tasks. These include improved human modeling, image communication, and human-computer interfaces, as well as devices such as special-purpose cameras with versatile vision sensors.<ref name="SCCC" />

===Embedded systems===
{{Main article|Embedded system{{!}}Embedded systems}}
[[File: Oxygen devices.svg|thumb|Examples of devices that use embedded systems|alt=]]
Individuals working in this area design technology for enhancing the speed, reliability, and performance of systems. Embedded systems are found in many devices from a small [[FM radio]] to the space shuttle. According to the Sloan Cornerstone Career Center, ongoing developments in embedded systems include "''automated vehicles and equipment to conduct search and rescue, automated transportation systems, and human-robot coordination to repair equipment in space.''"<ref name="SCCC" /> {{As of|2018}}, computer embedded systems specializations include [[System on a chip|system-on-chip]] design, the architecture of [[edge computing]] and the [[Internet of things]].

===Integrated circuits, VLSI design, testing and CAD===
{{Main article|Integrated circuit|Very-large-scale integration}}
This specialty of computer engineering requires adequate knowledge of electronics and electrical systems. Engineers working in this area work on enhancing the speed, reliability, and energy efficiency of next-generation very-large-scale integrated ([[VLSI]]) circuits and microsystems. An example of this specialty is work done on reducing the power consumption of VLSI algorithms and architecture.<ref name="SCCC" />

===Signal, image and speech processing===
{{Main article| Signal processing|Digital image processing|Speech processing}}
Computer engineers in this area develop improvements in human–computer interaction, including [[speech recognition]] and synthesis, medical and scientific imaging, or communications systems. Other work in this area includes computer vision development such as [[face recognition|recognition of human facial features]].<ref name="SCCC" />

===Quantum computing===
{{Main article|Quantum computing}}
This area integrates the [[Quantum mechanics|quantum]] behaviour of small particles such as [[Quantum superposition|superposition]], [[Wave interference|interference]] and [[Quantum entanglement|entanglement]], with classical computers to solve complex problems and formulate algorithms much more efficiently. Individuals focus on fields like [[Quantum cryptography]], [[Quantum simulator|physical simulations]] and [[Quantum algorithm|quantum algorithms]].

==See also==

===Related fields===
{{columns-list|
* [[Electrical engineering]]
* [[Electronic engineering]]
* [[Computer science]]
* [[Computer science and engineering]]
* [[Computer programming]]
* [[Software development]]
* [[Computer network]]
}}

===Associations===
* [[IEEE Computer Society]]
* [[Association for Computing Machinery]]
* [[British Computer Society]]

==Notes and references==
===Notes===
{{notelist|group="n"}}

===References===
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}

{{Engineering fields}}
{{Academic degrees}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Computer Engineering}}
[[Category:Computer engineering| ]]
[[Category:Electrical and computer engineering]]
[[Category:Engineering disciplines]]