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An application-specific standard part (ASSP) is an integrated circuit designed for a particular application or group of applications and sold as a standard product to multiple potential buyers. The term combines two distinct ideas: the chip has a specialized purpose, but it is offered commercially as a repeatable product rather than being made solely for one customer.
What does ASSP mean?
ASSP stands for application-specific standard part. Ansys describes an ASSP as an integrated circuit made using ASIC technologies and sold as a standard part to anyone who wants to buy it. In this term, “application-specific” describes the chip’s intended function; “standard part” describes how its manufacturer offers it in the market. Ansys glossary
A standard part is generally presented as a repeatable product with documentation such as a datasheet and supporting electronic-design-automation (EDA) models, rather than as a one-off design for a single customer. Arm-hosted Modern SoC Design
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An ASIC, or application-specific integrated circuit, is a broad category for a chip designed for a particular application. ASSP describes a more specific commercial arrangement: the chip is application-focused and marketed as a standard product to multiple potential customers. An ASSP can use ASIC design technologies, but not every ASIC is an ASSP. Ansys glossary ScienceDirect Topics overview of integrated circuits
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How does an ASSP compare with other chip types?
| Term | What it describes | How it relates to an ASSP |
|---|---|---|
| ASSP | A specialized integrated circuit sold as a standard product to multiple potential buyers. | Combines application-specific function with broad commercial availability. |
| ASIC | An integrated circuit designed for a particular application. | An ASSP may use ASIC technologies, but the ASIC label alone does not say whether it is sold as a standard product. |
| User-specific IC | A chip designed and produced for one company, often for use in that company’s own product or as a competitive advantage. | Unlike an ASSP, it is not intended to be marketed as a standard item to multiple customers. |
| Generic standard IC | A standard product that can be reused across applications. | It is commercially standard, but it is not necessarily designed for a specialized application. |
| SoC | A system-on-chip, describing the integration of system functions on one chip. | SoC describes integration, not whether the chip is custom-designed or sold as a standard part. |
These categories are not always cleanly separated in industry usage. As systems integrate more functions, terminology around SoCs, ASICs, ASSPs, and programmable devices can overlap. EEJournal’s discussion of ASSPs
What are examples of ASSPs?
Examples of product categories cited in an integrated-circuits overview include:
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- The board includes the Edge TPU coprocessor, which is a small ASIC designed by Google that accelerates TensorFlow Lite models in a power efficient manner. It's capable of performing 4 trillion operations (tera-operations) per second (tops), using 0.5 watts for each tops (2 tops per watt).
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- Graphics accelerators and multimedia chips
- Data-compression circuits and forward-error-correction devices
- Ciphering and deciphering circuits
- Smart-card chips and cellular-radio chipsets
- PCIe and Ethernet interfaces, plus wireless LAN chips
- Power-semiconductor driver circuits
These are illustrative categories, not automatic classifications: whether a particular chip is an ASSP depends on its design and how its manufacturer sells it. ScienceDirect Topics overview of integrated circuits
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When should a designer consider an ASSP instead of a custom chip?
Start by checking whether a standard product meets the system’s needs. If it does not, the design choice may involve custom, semi-custom, or field-programmable approaches. The useful comparison depends on the project, not on a universal volume cutoff or cost rule. Modern SoC Design
- Functional fit: Does an available ASSP provide the required function and interfaces?
- Performance: Does it meet the system’s speed and other technical requirements?
- Production volume: Is the expected volume sufficient to make another approach’s development economics sensible?
- Cost: Compare the development and production costs that apply to each viable approach.
The sources establish no general production-volume or cost threshold for choosing an ASSP over a custom design, so those figures must come from the requirements and economics of the specific project.
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