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Chip 101
Lesson 30 of 36 ยท Working in chip validation

How does a new chip get from lab to store?

New chips come back from the factory as early samples, get debugged and tested in rounds, then finally ship in products.

  1. first siliconpower onBIOS runsOS starts

    1. First chips, first power-on

    The first real chips are called first silicon. Bring-up makes them work for the first time: power on, run the BIOS start-up program, then start the operating system.

  2. A0fixesmonthsB0bugs foundfewer bugs

    2. New steppings fix old bugs

    Each chip revision is called a stepping, such as A0, then B0. A new stepping takes months, so until then, firmware or BIOS changes work around many bugs.

  3. one feature readyrelease 1release 2release 3

    3. Software grows in releases

    Firmware, BIOS and drivers come in numbered releases. Each release makes more features work: things the chip can do, such as sleep.

  4. EVTearly unitsdo they work?DVTfinal designpasses every test?PVTfactory linecan it build many?

    4. Device makers test in rounds

    Like test cars before a new car model, device makers build test units in three rounds: EVT, DVT, then PVT.

  5. first chipstest and fixlaunchupdates

    5. Launch, then updates

    Then the chip goes on sale inside products in stores. After launch, BIOS and driver updates keep fixing problems that customers find.

Words to know

Bring-up
The first work on new chips: getting them to power on and start a computer.
BIOS
The first code the main processor runs when a computer starts. It wakes up the hardware.
Operating system (OS)
The main software of a computer, such as Windows or Linux.
Stepping
One revision of a chip, named with a letter and a number, such as A0 or B0.
Firmware
Software built into the hardware that runs it from inside.
Driver
Software that lets the operating system use one part of the computer.
Release
A new numbered version of software, given to testers or customers.
EVT, DVT, PVT
Engineering, design and production validation tests: a device maker's three test rounds.

Where you meet it at work

The work changes with the stage: bring-up and switching features on early, deep feature tests in the middle, and checks that nothing broke near launch.

Check yourself

What is the difference between stepping A0 and stepping B0?Think first, then tap to see the answer.

B0 is a newer revision of the chip. It fixes problems found in A0.

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