How a Rock Becomes a Smartphone CPU

Illustrations: Optics Lab

If you want to get a sense of the truly global scale of the electronics industry, look no further than your smartphone. The processor that powers it started as a humble rock, and by the time it found its way into your device, it had probably seen more of the world than you have. Along the way it was subjected to some of the most technologically sophisticated and closely guarded processes on the planet. Come along as we retrace that incredible 30,000-kilometer ride.