IP core
/ˌaɪ ˈpiː kɔːr/
a reusable, pre-designed circuit block licensed from a third party and integrated into a custom chip
IP core in a sentence
“Most mobile SoCs license ARM's IP core rather than designing their own CPU architecture.”
Origin of IP core
Intellectual Property + core; reflects the legal and design nature of the asset
Related Words
ASIC
Application-Specific Integrated Circuit; a chip custom-designed for a single task, optimizing performance and efficiency
photoresist
a light-sensitive material applied to wafers that hardens or dissolves when exposed to light, enabling pattern transfer during lithography
deposition
the process of adding thin layers of material to a wafer surface to build up circuit structures
etch
the selective removal of material layers from a wafer to define circuit features
packaging
encasing a die in a protective housing with electrical connections to the outside world
thermal envelope
the maximum amount of heat a chip is designed to dissipate under sustained load, measured in watts