Very-large-scale integration (VLSI) is the process of creating integrated circuits by combining thousands of transistor-based circuits into a single chip. VLSI began in the 1970s when complex semiconductor and communication technologies were being developed. The microprocessor is a VLSI device. The term is no longer as common as it once was, as chips have increased in complexity into the hundreds of millions of transistors.

VLSI's advantage came through its

ability to help clients quickly develop advanced chips at a minimum cost. Indeed, VLSI gained a reputation for being able to

design and produce high-quality ASICs as fast as any company in the industry. Its reputation allowed it to land some of the

biggest buyers in the market, such as Apple, which used VLSI's chips to give its successful Macintosh computers many of

their distinctive features.