A microchip – also known as a chip, integrated circuit (IC), or computer chip – is designed to process information and control how other parts of a device behave. It helps manage data, make decisions, and direct signals within a system.
Thanks to microchips, powerful computers no longer need to be huge machines. Devices can be small and portable and be capable of doing complex tasks. Modern smartphones, for example, have much more processing power than the computers used in NASA’s Apollo moon missions. In fact, an iPhone has around a million times more RAM than the Apollo Guidance Computer.
What is a microchip?
A microchip is a tiny piece of silicon that holds a network of electronic circuits. These circuits work together to carry out instructions or store information.
Inside a microchip, you’ll usually find a mix of the following components:
- Transistors: active components that act like tiny switches, turning electrical signals on or off. Most modern ICs are almost entirely made of transistors
- Resistors: passive components that help control the flow of electricity by limiting current
- Capacitors: passive components that store small amounts of electrical energy and release it when needed
- Diodes: passive components that allow electrical current to flow in only one direction
To enable the microchip to perform its function, these components are linked by fine patterns etched into the silicon surface. These links guide the flow of electrical signals around the chip. To make this possible, engineers build up layers of materials in precise patterns – creating a structure that looks a bit like a miniature city grid at the microscopic level.
What is a microchip made from?
Most microchips are made from silicon, which is known for its semiconducting properties. This means it can conduct electricity under certain conditions but not others, making it ideal for switching and signal control.
To fine-tune its behaviour, silicon is treated through a process called doping, where tiny amounts of other elements are added. This makes it easier to control whether and how electricity flows through the material.
Silicon is chosen not just because it works well, but also because it’s abundant and cost-effective. It’s made from silica sand – which is mainly silicon dioxide – melted down and formed into large cylinders called ingots. These are then sliced into thin wafers, which form the base layer for building microchips.
How small is a microchip?
Microchips are extremely small – often around the size of a fingernail – and can contain billions of transistors. The parts inside a chip are measured in nanometres (nm), where one nanometre is one billionth of a metre.
As devices get smaller and faster, there’s increasing demand for microchips that can do more with less space.
The advantages of smaller chips
- They use less power, which helps improve battery life
- They take up less space, making room for more features in smaller devices
- They process information faster, because electrical signals have a shorter distance to travel
Chips with 5nm transistors are now being mass-produced. IBM has also demonstrated a 2nm chip containing 50 billion transistors onto a single piece of silicon, with each transistor measuring only a few atoms across. According to industry roadmaps, 1nm semiconductors may become a reality by the 2030s.
New techniques like 3D chip stacking are helping in this endeavour. By layering parts of a chip vertically, rather than side-by-side, engineers can squeeze even more performance into the same space.
What are the main types of microchips?
Microchips come in many forms, but they are usually grouped based on what they do. The four main types are logic chips, memory chips, ASICs, and SoCs. These chips may use digital, analogue, or mixed-signal circuitry.
Logic
Logic chips are responsible for processing instructions. They act as the brain of a device, performing calculations and making decisions.
The most familiar example is the CPU (central processing unit), which handles general-purpose computing. Other types of logic chips include:
- GPUs (graphics processing units): Designed for visual tasks like rendering images and video
- NPUs (neural processing units): Specialised for artificial intelligence and machine learning
Memory
Memory chips store data. There are two main types:
- Volatile memory loses its data when power is turned off. An example is DRAM (dynamic random access memory), which is fast and used for running programs
- Non-volatile memory keeps data even when the device is off. A common example is NAND Flash, which stores things like photos and files. It’s slower than DRAM but ideal for long-term storage
ASICs
Application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) are designed for a single task. They are efficient and reliable for jobs that are repeated often. One example is a chip in a barcode scanner, built specifically for image capture and decoding.
SoCs
System-on- devices combine several different functions – like processing, memory, graphics, and wireless connectivity – onto one chip. They’re often found in smartphones, tablets, and embedded systems where space and power are limited.
Microchips are what make our connected world possible. They power technologies like 5G, on-device AI, virtual reality, and much more.
As chip manufacturing keeps improving, engineers are building faster, smaller, and more efficient designs. This means more control over how circuits are arranged, which boosts performance without increasing size.
According to Brite Innovation Review, 3D chip stacking is expected to be a key part of this progress, helping to squeeze even more capability into smaller packages.
Microchips may be small, but they’re at the centre of how modern technology works – and they’ll continue to shape how we live, work, and communicate in the years ahead.
