ASIC

An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is an integrated circuit designed for a particular application or function, rather than for general-purpose use. ASICs are optimized to perform a defined set of tasks with high efficiency, speed, and predictable power consumption, making them suitable for products that require specialized processing.

ASICs are typically developed as custom designs tailored to a specific customer or a narrow product class. A related category is an application-specific standard product (ASSP), which is a semi-custom device built from a library of blocks for a family of applications. In contrast, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) can be reprogrammed after manufacture, offering flexibility at the expense of efficiency.

The ASIC design process generally includes specification, architectural and RTL design, logic synthesis, physical design (placement and routing), verification, and tape-out. After fabrication by a semiconductor foundry, units are produced in volume to amortize the high non-recurring engineering costs. ASICs can be digital, analog, or mixed-signal, and may include hard, firm, or soft IP blocks.

ASICs enable high performance and low power for targeted workloads, but they require substantial upfront investment and longer development cycles. They may become obsolete as requirements evolve, making them most cost-effective for high-volume production in industries such as consumer electronics, networking, data centers, automotive systems, and specialized processing tasks.