ASICs

An Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) is a term used to describe an integrated circuit (IC) that is custom designed for a particular use.  Modern processing techniques allow ASICs to be fabricated and contain over one billion transistors (the basic building block of an IC).  This staggering number of possible transistors enables extremely complex and powerful designs to be implemented on an ASIC.  Cost analysis is essential when determining if an ASIC is appropriate for a particular application as there is a significant upfront cost of development which must be spread out over a very large volume in order to be cost effective compared to alternative solutions such as a programmable logic device or a system built from discrete components.