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What is an ASIC, and why is everyone using them?
Due to its smaller physical size, the ASIC device consumes significantly less power than a collection of standard components. Furthermore, since the ASIC only includes the circuits required for the application, it is more efficient due to its small size and low power requirements.
An ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) is a microchip designed for a specific application, such as a communications protocol or a handheld computer. You can contrast ASICs with general-purpose integrated circuits (like the microprocessor or random-access memory chips in a PC).
ASICs can be designed in different ways, allowing for specific operations to be performed within a particular device. Two primary design methodologies are gate arrays and full custom designs.
Gate Array Design
In gate array design, the non-recurring engineering costs are much lower because the design effort required to fabricate a working chip is minimal. Metallization is a relatively fast process compared to full custom design, so the production cycle is also significantly shorter. Additionally, gate array designs are typically larger, meaning higher power requirements.
Gate array design is a fabrication method where the diffusion layers, transistors, and other active devices are predefined, and wafers containing these devices are stocked before metallization. Once ready for final design, engineers switch certain switches on and off to make the chip operate as desired.
Full Custom Design
Full custom ASIC design is slightly more complex compared to gate arrays. However, this added complexity means the chip can do more than its counterparts. In many cases, the size of the ASIC can be significantly reduced relative to gate array designs due to the level of customization and the removal of unnecessary gates.
ASICs are designed specifically for a customer to provide the functionality needed for that customer's end product. For example, a cell phone company might design an ASIC that integrates the display backlight controller and battery charging circuitry into a single IC to reduce the size of the phone.
Now that you understand the basics behind ASICs, let's explore why you should consider using one in your current application.
Reasons to Use ASICs
Size
ASICs are demonstrably smaller than multiple interconnected standard products on a PC board. The variability in size allows the chip to be made smaller or larger as needed. This alone is a reason why the size of many electronic products has been shrinking in recent years.
Power and Performance
Because of their smaller physical size, ASIC devices consume far less power than a collection of standard components. Furthermore, ASICs only contain the circuitry needed for the application, so the chip is more efficient due to its small size and low power requirements.
Intellectual Property Protection
Beyond size, power, and performance, ASIC chips also offer you IP protection unlike standard products. We design the chip exclusively for you. This means you can more easily differentiate yourself from competitors, while also creating a very high barrier to entry.
Competitive Advantage
While there is an initial investment required to develop an ASIC, the return on that investment is very high. Beyond the possible performance enhancements, products using ASICs require fewer electronic components and are much cheaper to assemble. Fewer parts mean higher overall reliability. ASICs can house many different systems on a single chip, so you will need to contact far fewer suppliers when assembling the final product. This means less procurement and production planning for products with many parts.
Smarter, Faster, More Reliable
Ultimately, for a multitude of reasons, ASICs are a smart choice. ASICs can reduce product size, costs can be significantly reduced, and you will have a chip that no one else has. These reasons alone should be enough to inspire you to consider developing your own ASIC.
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