ASIC, short for an application-specific integrated circuit, is a computing device that performs a single operation. In the crypto world, ASIC miners are computing devices that use their processing power and resources solely for mining cryptocurrencies.
An ASIC miner is typically constructed to mine a single cryptocurrency and can be considered specialized equipment. For instance, a Bitcoin ASIC is designed to solve the Bitcoin mining algorithm and mine only BTC.
ASIC miners are more complex and expensive to build and purchase than regular computing devices like PCs and laptops. However, because they are exclusively designed for mining cryptos, they perform this operation far more efficiently than personal computing devices.
An ASIC miner has far better processing power than a CPU or a GPU (graphic processing unit), which is also used to mine some cryptocurrencies. Although expensive to procure, the ASIC mining device can make crypto mining more rewarding.