What is Custom Silicon?

Custom silicon refers to integrated circuits (ICs) that are purpose-built for specific applications, products, or workloads, including artificial intelligence (AI). Unlike general-purpose silicon, which offers standardized performance across a wide range of tasks, custom silicon is designed to deliver optimized performance, power efficiency, and functionality for targeted use cases. This approach enables deeper hardware-software integration, especially critical for AI acceleration, edge computing, and domain-specific processing.

Why Custom Silicon is Important to AI

AI workloads, such as inference, training, and real-time decision-making, demand high performance, low latency, and power efficiency. Custom silicon enables designers to create hardware tailored specifically for these requirements. Key benefits include:


  • AI-optimized processing through integrated accelerators and neural processing units (NPUs)
  • Power efficiency, allowing AI tasks to run on edge devices without thermal or battery constraints
  • Real-time performance, essential for responsive AI applications
  • Security by design, with hardware-level encryption and data protection

As AI becomes ubiquitous across sectors, custom silicon is foundational for enabling intelligent, energy-efficient solutions at scale.

How is Custom Silicon Developed?

Custom silicon development combines chip architecture design, third-party IP integration, and semiconductor foundry services. A common form is the system-on-chip (SoC), which consolidates compute, memory, I/O, and acceleration blocks into a single chip. Arm enables this process through a robust portfolio of customizable IP, including CPUs, GPUs, NPUs, and system components.


Development typically includes:


  • Defining performance and workload requirements
  • Selecting and customizing IP blocks
  • Optimizing power, performance, and area (PPA)
  • Testing and validating before fabrication

With Arm’s solutions and tools, companies can reduce development risk and accelerate time to market.

What Are the Advantages of Custom Silicon Over Standard Chips?

While off-the-shelf chips provide convenience and broad compatibility, custom silicon delivers distinct advantages:


  • Performance tuning for specific workloads and applications
  • System integration, reducing board complexity and cost
  • Power and thermal optimization
  • Security customization with hardware-level protections
  • Long-term product stability and differentiation

Custom silicon empowers organizations to meet their unique goals with tailored, efficient solutions.

In Which Markets Does Custom Silicon Have the Most Impact?

Custom silicon is used across diverse sectors, including:


  • Consumer electronics : to improve performance and battery life
  • Cloud and edge computing: for high-efficiency AI processing
  • Automotive: for safety-critical compute in autonomous systems
  • IoT: for ultra-low-power, task-specific processing
  • Telecommunications : for optimized data throughput and latency

These applications benefit from the performance-per-watt and integration advantages that custom silicon delivers.

Custom Silicon - FAQ

What makes custom silicon ideal for AI?

It allows the integration of AI accelerators tailored for specific workloads, resulting in higher efficiency and lower latency.

Is custom silicon limited to large enterprises?

No. With scalable IP and design support from Arm, startups and smaller teams can also develop custom SoCs.

Does custom silicon help with data security?

Yes. Hardware-level encryption and secure boot features enhance data protection.

Can custom silicon reduce power consumption?

Absolutely. Chips can be designed for ultra-efficient performance, especially important for mobile and edge devices.

How does Arm support custom silicon development?

Arm offers IP, tools, and ecosystem support through platforms such as Arm Flexible Access and Arm Total Design.

Relevant Resources

Related Topics

  • ASIC: Custom silicon enables tailored performance for AI workloads.
  • SoC: Designers integrate multiple components into one chip for efficiency.
  • FPGA: FPGAs allow reprogrammable logic for rapid prototyping.