ASIC

An ASIC, or Application-Specific Integrated Circuit, is a type of computer chip designed for a specific task or function. Unlike general-purpose chips like those in PCs, which can perform many different tasks, an ASIC is tailored to one particular job, making it more efficient and faster for that purpose. For example, a Bitcoin mining device often uses an ASIC optimized to perform the complex calculations needed for mining. Custom designing an ASIC allows for optimized performance, lower power consumption, and reduced size, but it requires a significant initial investment since it’s built specifically for that application.