It depends. There are some chips that perform very basic tasks, such as sending regular timing signals, which are required in all kinds of systems. More elaborate chips, such as microcontrollers and microprocessors, can usually be programmed to do many different things.
That doesn't necessarily mean they're easily interchangeable though, since they vary in terms of physical size and shape, voltage requirements, reliability, ability to withstand extreme temperatures, processing speed, etc. So it might take a lot of work to adapt a system to use a different kind of chip, or it might have an impact on its performance or reliability. I would imagine that some military equipment is usually made using very specialized, high-performance electronic components, while some just uses standard civilian components.
woslwe t1_iyell5d wrote
Reply to ELI5 How specialised microchips can be altered to suit another purposed. For example a home appliance processor into a missile. by Bullinach1nashop
It depends. There are some chips that perform very basic tasks, such as sending regular timing signals, which are required in all kinds of systems. More elaborate chips, such as microcontrollers and microprocessors, can usually be programmed to do many different things.
That doesn't necessarily mean they're easily interchangeable though, since they vary in terms of physical size and shape, voltage requirements, reliability, ability to withstand extreme temperatures, processing speed, etc. So it might take a lot of work to adapt a system to use a different kind of chip, or it might have an impact on its performance or reliability. I would imagine that some military equipment is usually made using very specialized, high-performance electronic components, while some just uses standard civilian components.