Definition
A chiplet is a discrete, unpackaged die that implements one functional block, such as compute cores, memory, or I/O, and is designed to be combined with other chiplets inside a single package. Rather than building one large monolithic system-on-chip, designers disaggregate the system into several smaller dies and reassemble them with advanced packaging. Each chiplet can be manufactured on the process node best suited to its function and, in some cases, sourced from different foundries.
Why the industry moved to chiplets
As leading-edge transistor scaling has slowed and grown more expensive, large monolithic dies suffer falling yields, because a single defect can ruin an enormous chip. Splitting the design into smaller chiplets raises yield, lets mature nodes handle analog or I/O blocks that do not benefit from the newest process, and allows mix-and-match reuse across product lines. This heterogeneous integration is now the dominant response to the economics of Moore's Law.
How chiplets talk to each other
Chiplets are joined through 2.5D interposers, 3D stacking, or fan-out routing, and they communicate over high-speed die-to-die links. An open industry standard, UCIe (Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express), defines a common physical and protocol layer so chiplets from different vendors can interoperate. For specialized silicon, including mining and AI accelerators, the chiplet approach offers a path to scale compute beyond what a single die can economically deliver.
See Silicon Interposer and 2.5D / 3D IC Packaging for the assembly methods that bind chiplets together.
In Simple Terms
A chiplet is a discrete, unpackaged die that implements one functional block, such as compute cores, memory, or I/O, and is designed to be combined…