A chip is a miniaturized electronic circuit manufactured on the surface of a thin substrate, almost always silicon. It packs thousands to billions of transistors, resistors, and capacitors into a single package to perform logic, memory, or analog functions. The term encompasses everything from simple timer ICs to massive server microprocessors.
The board looks fine but the main power management chip is getting way too hot under load.
Also heard as
- microchip
- IC
- integrated circuit
- Computer chip
Related terms
IC
A complete electronic circuit manufactured on a single piece of semiconductor material.
Wafer
A highly polished slice of semiconductor material used as the foundation for fabricating integrated circuits.
Chiplet
A smaller, modular integrated circuit die designed to be combined with others in a single package.
Silicon lottery
The natural variance in manufacturing quality that dictates how far a specific chip can be overclocked.