Glossary term
Node (Process Node)
A semiconductor manufacturing generation labeled by feature size (3nm, 5nm, 7nm); smaller is denser but harder to manufacture.
A Process Node is a semiconductor manufacturing generation, labeled by a feature-size figure such as 3nm, 5nm, or 7nm. Smaller nodes pack more transistors per area, improving performance and efficiency, but each new node is exponentially harder and more expensive to manufacture. The node label is now a marketing approximation rather than a literal dimension, but it still ranks foundries by capability. See Foundry Economics 101.