microchip

[mahy-kroh-chip]

noun

Electronics.

1. chip.

microchip

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊˌtʃɪp /

noun

1. a small piece of semiconductor material carrying many integrated circuits

verb

1. (tr) to implant (an animal) with a microchip tag linked to a national computer network for purposes of identification

microchip

1. See integrated circuit

microchip

1. The basic component of modern miniaturized electronics. The “chip” is a series of electrical circuits built into a tiny wafer of silicon or another semiconductor.

These circuits may be made by exposing the chip to a high-temperature vapor of controlled composition. The vapor deposits a thin layer (sometimes only a few atoms thick) on the silicon. In this way complex layers of materials, such as those found in transistors can be built up in a very small area.

Word History and Origins

Origin of microchip¹

First recorded in 1965–70; micro- + chip ¹

Example Sentences

Academics in China just released a paper on their “SpikingBrain” model that claims a new approach allows powerful AI development on low-cost microchips.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

There police officers used a scanner to check if the dog had a microchip.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Fran said the cat - who was identified through having a microchip - is exactly how they remembered him, and was happy to share space with the family's other feline, Freddy.

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Energy efficiency was being built into "all aspects of AI" microchips, models, and data centres, but it was important to "modernise the grid" to balance off periods of excess capacity, she said.

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"But the bad thing is that the number of Russian parts has increased which means Russia is producing things they couldn't do before, including microchips."

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Related Words

• chip 
• circuitry 
• microprocessor 
• silicon chip