About this read
This is not a "building" course but a "reading" corner. In the world of semiconductors right now, a change large enough to make you want to compare it to the Earth's Cambrian explosion is underway, set off by AI. The kinds of chip are increasing explosively, the base of people who can design them is widening, and the very way they're made is beginning to change. This corner unravels that whole picture with zero background, few technical terms, and no code or circuit diagrams — using only analogies and a "why → so" flow. We start slowly, together, from "what's the difference between a CPU and a GPU?"
Preface: A Cambrian explosion is happening in the world of chips
500 million years ago, life diversified all at once in the "Cambrian explosion." Now, something on the same scale is happening in the world of chips — with AI as the trigger for "three explosions." We survey how to walk through this corner.
Read this chapterChapter 1: What does a chip actually do?
The "chip" is in your phone, your car, your microwave. Its true nature is a tiny "swarm of switches." Without technical terms, we unravel the guts of the "small board that computes," through analogy.
Read this chapterChapter 2: The "brains" diversified ― CPU, GPU, TPU, quantum, bio
The all-rounder CPU, the massively parallel GPU, the AI-dedicated TPU, and quantum chips on a wholly different principle, and bio-chips using living matter. Why use different "brains" for different jobs? We survey the front line of diversification.
Read this chapterChapter 3: The instruction set (ISA), an invisible contract
The same software won't run on a different chip. Behind that is an "invisible contract" exchanged between hardware and software. We gently hand over the ISA — a rule no one notices, yet everyone follows.
Read this chapterChapter 4: The language had owners ― the x86 and ARM empires
The "shared language" that runs chips long had owners. A world with licenses and gates to use it. The one in the middle holds the value — see that structure, and you'll see why the next "opening" is a turning point.
Read this chapterChapter 5: RISC-V ― opening up the "language"
"What if that shared language belonged to no one, and was open for free?" The story of RISC-V, born at Berkeley. But "free" and "open" are different — we draw the line here, too, so you won't get caught out.
Read this chapterChapter 6: The transistor went 3D ― "2 nm" isn't a line width
The once-flat transistor stood up like a fin, and is now a stacked, three-dimensional structure. And "2 nm" no longer refers to a line width. We unmask the number a newcomer is most easily fooled by.
Read this chapterChapter 7: A shift in how chips are made ― drawing without carving a stamp
Conventional chip-making starts from carving a "mask (the stamp)." Research into "maskless" methods that remove that gate, and a scheme to make chips cheaply by ride-sharing. The manufacturing-side upheaval that pairs with the opening of the design door.
Read this chapterChapter 8: The frontier ― AI, and into the physical world
From inference, to an agent that judges for itself, to "Physical AI" that moves a body in the real world. Robots, cars, space. We see that the small chip at your hand is continuous with the world's frontier.
Read this chapterFinale: Toward a vast frontier ― so we decided to try building one ourselves
The opened ground is wide, though the making side is still precarious. Yet a vast frontier spreads out ahead. Rather than end at explaining the upheaval, I wanted to check whether an individual can really build a chip — we close with a declaration that leads to four courses.
Read this chapterBefore you read
This corner is a read to help non-specialists enjoy what's happening in the world of semiconductors right now. We aim for accuracy, but in some places we deliberately simplify details for the sake of clarity. In particular, product names, generations, and performance figures for each company, as well as market share and the latest trends, update and shift quickly, and interpretations differ depending on the viewpoint. In the text we try not to fix specific numbers or definitive conclusions; for matters that interest you, please check the primary and official sources of each provider yourself.
※ The first draft is from June 2026. The content will be updated as appropriate. If, having finished reading, you think "I'd like to try making a chip myself," please head to Chip Makers (four courses), which we introduce at the end.