Chip words A–Z
Every chip and semiconductor word from our news stories, explained in simple English. New words are added with every story.
79 words
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- 2nm
- A name for a very advanced chip-making generation. Smaller means more transistors in the same space.Seen in: HCLTech opens two chip centres in Bengaluru and Hubballi for Rapidus
- 3D heterogeneous integration
- Stacking and joining different chips into one module.Seen in: Odisha has five chip projects worth over $4 billion
- 5G
- The fifth generation of mobile networks, much faster than 4G.Seen in: Qualcomm has about 19,000 engineers in India
A
- Acquisition
- When one company buys another.Seen in: Bengaluru chip firm Tessolve raises $75 million
- AI data centre
- A building full of powerful computers that train and run AI models.Seen in: US chip stocks crash after AI spending fears
- All-stock deal
- Paying with the buyer's shares instead of cash.Seen in: Marvell to buy Lumentum in $115 billion AI deal
- A*STAR
- Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research.Seen in: India may invite Taiwan and Singapore institutes to train chip engineers
- ATE (automatic test equipment)
- Machines that test chips quickly after they are made.Seen in: US chip-test maker Teradyne bets on India
- Avionics
- The electronics inside an aircraft.Seen in: Bengaluru firm makes Indian part for military aircraft
B
- BIEC
- Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, a big venue on Tumakuru Road.Seen in: Bengaluru Tech Summit 2026 on 17–19 Nov has a chip track
C
- Centre
- The Union (central) government in New Delhi.Seen in: Telangana asks Centre to include it in Chip Mission 2.0
- Centre of Excellence (CoE)
- A special lab and training centre focused on one field.Seen in: IIT Guwahati and Tata Electronics to start chip packaging courses
- Chip equipment
- The machines used inside a chip factory to make and check chips.Seen in: 3,000 students compete in Lam Research's chip challenge
- Chiplet
- A small chip that is joined with others to build one big chip.Seen in: Chip group ISIG says India is next big place for packaging
- Chip manufacturing
- The steps of making chips in a factory (fab), from wafers to finished chips.Seen in: 3,000 students compete in Lam Research's chip challenge, Chip leaders say India needs more factory talent, not just design
- Commercial production
- Making products to sell, not just testing or building the plant.Seen in: 5 of India's 12 approved chip projects now in production
- Compound semiconductor
- A chip material made of two or more elements, like silicon carbide (SiC), instead of only silicon.Seen in: Odisha has five chip projects worth over $4 billion
- Co-packaged optics
- Placing optical (light) parts right next to the chip in one package to move data faster.Seen in: Global chip group ISIG to fund Indian chip start-ups
- Critical minerals
- Rare metals like lithium, gallium and germanium used in chips, batteries and electronics.Seen in: India and Poland talk chips, AI and minerals
D
- Data centre
- A large building full of computers that run cloud services and AI.Seen in: India and Poland talk chips, AI and minerals
- Data-centre chips
- Chips for servers that run cloud services and AI.Seen in: Qualcomm to start job cuts worldwide from November
- Division
- A separate business unit inside a big company.Seen in: Bosch to form a separate chip division, aims for €5 billion
- DRDO
- Defence Research and Development Organisation, India's defence research agency.Seen in: India sets goal to be a chip powerhouse by 2047
E
- Ecosystem
- All the companies, suppliers, colleges and services that work together in one industry.Seen in: Tamil Nadu launches its own semiconductor scheme
- EDA
- Electronic Design Automation, the software used to design and check chips.Seen in: Cadence asks India to build its own chip design software
- Edge AI
- Running AI directly on a device like a phone or glasses instead of in a data centre.Seen in: Qualcomm has about 19,000 engineers in India
- Edge chip
- A chip that does smart work inside a device, like a camera, instead of in a data centre.Seen in: India sets goal to be a chip powerhouse by 2047
- Electronics park
- An area with ready land and utilities for electronics companies.Seen in: Tamil Nadu launches its own semiconductor scheme
- Electronics parts
- Components like circuit boards, connectors and displays that go into electronic products.Seen in: Semicon 2.0 portal opens; 12 electronics parts projects cleared
F
- Fab
- A factory that makes chips on silicon wafers.Seen in: ASML starts work in India, will hire young engineers, Tata chairman: chip plants are a long-term bet on India, Tata's chip plant will need 450 suppliers, and is building a 363-acre park for them
- Field engineer
- An engineer who installs and repairs machines at the customer's site.Seen in: ASML starts work in India, will hire young engineers
- Finalist
- A team chosen to compete in the last round of a contest.Seen in: 3,000 students compete in Lam Research's chip challenge
- Fraunhofer
- A large German network of applied research institutes.Seen in: India may invite Taiwan and Singapore institutes to train chip engineers
- FTA (free trade agreement)
- A deal between countries to cut taxes and rules on trade with each other.Seen in: India and Poland talk chips, AI and minerals
H
- Hands-on training
- Learning by doing real work on tools and machines, not only theory.Seen in: India plans to train 1 lakh chip engineers in six years
I
- Investment proposal
- A company's plan to invest; it becomes real only when they build.Seen in: Madhya Pradesh chip summit brings ₹15,425 crore proposals, 14,000+ jobs
- Investor
- A person or fund that buys company shares hoping their value will grow.Seen in: US chip stocks crash after AI spending fears
- IP
- A ready-made chip design block that a company owns and can sell or reuse.Seen in: India clears ₹1.25 lakh crore for Chip Mission 2.0
- ISIG
- International Semiconductor Industry Group, a global chip industry body.Seen in: Chip leaders say India needs more factory talent, not just design
- ISM 2.0
- The second phase of the India Semiconductor Mission, with a ₹1.25 lakh crore budget.Seen in: Telangana asks Centre to include it in Chip Mission 2.0
- ISM (India Semiconductor Mission)
- The government programme that supports chip plants and design in India.Seen in: 5 of India's 12 approved chip projects now in production, India clears ₹1.25 lakh crore for Chip Mission 2.0
- ITRI
- Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taiwan's big public research body that helped start its chip industry.Seen in: India may invite Taiwan and Singapore institutes to train chip engineers
L
- Land letter
- A letter from the state allotting land to a company for its plant.Seen in: Madhya Pradesh chip summit brings ₹15,425 crore proposals, 14,000+ jobs
- Layoff / job cut
- When a company ends some jobs to reduce cost or change direction.Seen in: Qualcomm to start job cuts worldwide from November
- Layout
- The exact drawing of a chip's shapes, layer by layer.Seen in: HCLTech opens two chip centres in Bengaluru and Hubballi for Rapidus
- Lithography
- Printing circuit patterns onto a silicon wafer using light.Seen in: ASML starts work in India, will hire young engineers
M
- Making chips for other companies
- Building chips designed by another company in your own factory (foundry work).Seen in: Bosch to form a separate chip division, aims for €5 billion
- Materials science
- The study of materials like silicon, metals and chemicals used to build chips.Seen in: Chip leaders say India needs more factory talent, not just design
- MeitY
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.Seen in: Global chip leaders meet in New Delhi on 3–4 November
- Mission 2.0
- The second phase of the India Semiconductor Mission.Seen in: India plans to train 1 lakh chip engineers in six years
- Modem
- The chip part that connects a phone to the mobile network.Seen in: Qualcomm has about 19,000 engineers in India
- MoU
- An agreement to work together.Seen in: IIT Guwahati and Tata Electronics to start chip packaging courses
- MPW (multi-project wafer)
- Several designs share one wafer to save money.Seen in: What is tape-out? The big day in a chip's life
O
- Optical link
- Sending data as light through fibre instead of electricity through wires.Seen in: Marvell to buy Lumentum in $115 billion AI deal
- OSAT (chip assembly and test)
- A company that assembles, packages and tests chips for others.Seen in: US chip-test maker Teradyne bets on India, Tata chairman: chip plants are a long-term bet on India, Chip group ISIG says India is next big place for packaging
- Outlay
- The total money the government plans to spend.Seen in: India clears ₹1.25 lakh crore for Chip Mission 2.0
P
- Packaging
- Putting a bare chip into a protective case and connecting it to the outside world.Seen in: Global chip leaders meet in New Delhi on 3–4 November, Odisha has five chip projects worth over $4 billion
- PDK (process design kit)
- Files and rules from a factory that tell designers how to draw chips it can make.Seen in: HCLTech opens two chip centres in Bengaluru and Hubballi for Rapidus
- Photomask
- A stencil used to print one layer of a chip.Seen in: What is tape-out? The big day in a chip's life
- Pitch
- How much an aircraft's nose points up or down.Seen in: Bengaluru firm makes Indian part for military aircraft
- Plug-and-play
- Ready to use; a company can move in and start quickly.Seen in: Tata's chip plant will need 450 suppliers, and is building a 363-acre park for them
- Portal
- A website where companies can fill in and send their applications.Seen in: Semicon 2.0 portal opens; 12 electronics parts projects cleared
- Power chip
- A chip that controls and converts electricity, for example in motors and chargers.Seen in: Bosch to form a separate chip division, aims for €5 billion
- Product engineer
- An engineer who makes sure a chip works well and can be made in large numbers.Seen in: US chip-test maker Teradyne bets on India
- PSMC
- Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, a Taiwanese chipmaker and Tata's partner.Seen in: Tata chairman: chip plants are a long-term bet on India
Q
- Qualified
- Tested and approved to meet a required standard.Seen in: Bengaluru firm makes Indian part for military aircraft
R
- Respin
- Fixing the design and taping out again.Seen in: What is tape-out? The big day in a chip's life
S
- Self-reliant (Atmanirbhar)
- Able to do something without depending on other countries.Seen in: India sets goal to be a chip powerhouse by 2047
- Semicon 2.0
- The second phase of India's chip programme, with support for fabs, packaging, machines and materials.Seen in: Semicon 2.0 portal opens; 12 electronics parts projects cleared
- SerDes
- A circuit that sends data very fast over a few wires.Seen in: Marvell to buy Lumentum in $115 billion AI deal
- A number that tracks the share prices of a group of companies together.Seen in: US chip stocks crash after AI spending fears
- SiC / GaN
- Silicon carbide and gallium nitride, materials for chips that handle high power and heat.Seen in: Global chip leaders meet in New Delhi on 3–4 November
- Sign-off
- The final checks before a chip design is sent for making.Seen in: Cadence asks India to build its own chip design software, What is tape-out? The big day in a chip's life
- Silicon photonics
- Using light on silicon chips to send data.Seen in: Global chip group ISIG to fund Indian chip start-ups
- Supply chain
- All the companies that provide materials, machines and services to make a product.Seen in: 5 of India's 12 approved chip projects now in production
T
- Track
- A set of talks on one topic at a big event.Seen in: Bengaluru Tech Summit 2026 on 17–19 Nov has a chip track
V
- Validation
- Checking a real chip works correctly in real conditions.Seen in: Bengaluru chip firm Tessolve raises $75 million
- Vendor park
- An area with ready land and utilities where suppliers set up near a big plant.Seen in: Tata's chip plant will need 450 suppliers, and is building a 363-acre park for them
- Venture fund
- An investor that puts money into young companies for a share of them.Seen in: Global chip group ISIG to fund Indian chip start-ups
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