Chiplet
Technology Life Cycle
Marked by a rapid increase in technology adoption and market expansion. Innovations are refined, production costs decrease, and the technology gains widespread acceptance and use.
Technology Readiness Level (TRL)
Technology is developed and qualified. It is readily available for implementation but the market is not entirely familiar with the technology.
Technology Diffusion
Adopts technologies once they are proven by Early Adopters. They prefer technologies that are well established and reliable.
Chiplet technology represents a significant innovation in semiconductor design, addressing the challenges of increasing performance demands and the limitations of traditional monolithic chip architectures. As Moore's Law, which predicts the doubling of transistors on a microchip approximately every two years, approaches its physical and economic limits, chiplet technology emerges as a viable solution to continue the trend of performance improvement and cost reduction in the semiconductor industry.
A chiplet is a small, modular integrated circuit designed to work in conjunction with other chiplets to form a complete System-on-a-Chip (SoC). Unlike monolithic designs, where all components are fabricated on a single silicon die, chiplets allow for the integration of various functionalities—such as processing, memory, and input/output operations—into a cohesive unit by combining multiple discrete modules. This modular approach enables the use of the best fabrication processes for each component, optimising performance and reducing overall costs.
This technology promotes a more resource-efficient model in semiconductor manufacturing, reducing the carbon footprint associated with producing larger, monolithic chips that have higher failure rates during fabrication. Moreover, the adaptability of chiplet-based systems enables rapid advancements in technologies crucial for sustainability, such as energy-efficient computing and advanced systems for managing smart cities and renewable energy grids. The ability to update or enhance systems by replacing specific chiplets rather than the entire system also contributes to a reduction in electronic waste, aligning with the principles of a circular economy.
The technology is crucial for sustainable and smart growth in industries ranging from digital computing to healthcare, urban mobility, and environmental monitoring. While there are already chiplet-based consumer electronics in the market, the technology's flexibility and efficiency also promise transformative applications in other sectors, such as enabling more precise environmental monitoring systems, advancing healthcare diagnostics, and improving manufacturing processes.