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An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is a kind of integrated circuit that is specially built for a specific application or purpose. Compared to a programmable logic device or a standard logic integrated circuit, an ASIC can improve speed because it is specifically designed to do one thing and it does this one thing well. It can also be made smaller and use less electricity. The disadvantage of this circuit is that it can be more expensive to design and manufacture, particularly if only a few units are needed.
An ASIC can be found in almost any electronic device and its uses can range from custom rendering of images to sound conversion. Because ASICs are all custom-made and thus only available to the company that designed them, they are considered to be proprietary technology.
There are three different categories of ASICS:
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