Series Introduction: How Is a Chip Born?

The world of chips looks like magic from the outside: A small, thin component found inside every computer, phone, car, camera, or server - managing to perform billions of operations per second.

But how is it created? Who designs it? How do you “write” hardware? How do you test something that doesn’t exist yet? And how do you turn digital files into an actual piece of silicon?

This series provides simple and clear answers to exactly these questions.

The Goal

To build a deep and intuitive understanding of a chip’s lifecycle - from the moment it’s an idea until it lights up for the first time.

Everything in accessible language, with no prior knowledge required.

What Will the Series Cover?

The series is divided into 13 posts, each covering a different central stage in the chip design process.

Here’s the roadmap:

1. What Is a Chip?

Basic introduction to chips, transistors, and the logic layers that compose them.

2. What Is a System on Chip (SoC)?

How a modern chip contains entire worlds: processor, memory, accelerators, communication, and more.

3. Hardware vs. Software

The fundamental differences between programming thinking and hardware thinking.

4. What Is Frontend in Chip Design?

Understanding the division between Frontend and Backend - and each side’s responsibilities.

5. How Do You “Write” Hardware? - RTL for Beginners

The first transition: from idea → to describing hardware behavior in digital language. Introduction to Verilog, VHDL, and basic syntax.

6. What Is Chip Architecture?

The layer where you decide what the chip will do, how it will do it, and which units will be built.

7. What Is Verification?

Why is 70% of chip development testing? How do you ensure the RTL actually does what was intended?

8. What Is Synthesis?

How to translate RTL into actual gates - the bridge between Frontend and Backend.

9. What Is Place & Route?

The stage where physical gates are positioned on the chip area and connected with tiny metal wires.

10. What Is STA - Static Timing Analysis?

Why timing is one of the hardest challenges in the hardware world.

11. Simulation, FPGA, and Emulation

How do you test a chip that doesn’t exist yet? Why do you need three different methods and what does each provide?

12. What Is Tapeout?

The moment when everything stops, the design is sealed - and sent to the manufacturing plant.

13. What Happens at the Factory (FAB)? Bring-Up and Post-Silicon

How design files become physical masks, and then an actual piece of silicon. First power-on of the chip - and the tests ensuring it works.

What Will We Gain from the Series?

✅ Deep but simple understanding of all stages

✅ Precise professional language you can use with VLSI engineers

✅ System-level view connecting hardware, software, and architecture

✅ Ability to understand the biggest challenges in the chip world

Who Is This Series For?

• Programmers who want to understand what happens “under the hood”
• Beginning hardware engineers
• Technology professionals seeking deep understanding
• Students studying architecture and circuit design
• Anyone who feels chips are magic they want to understand

How to Read the Series?

The posts are built in logical order:

Each post builds on previous ones.

Recommended to read in order - this will build cumulative understanding.

But you can also jump to a specific topic of particular interest.

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This is the starting point - and from here we embark on a fascinating journey into the small-big world beneath all modern technology.

In the next post, we’ll start from the basics: What even is a chip?