The earliest chips used vacuum tubes and mechanical switches to perform logic functions, while nanotubes in modern integrated circuits refer to transistors on a nanoscale.
The earliest nanotube was invented in 2006 by IBM LABS, using nanowiring and nanotransistor technology, and the manufacturing process reached 32 nanometers. With the continuous development of technology, it is now possible to fabricate nanotubes at the 7 - and 5-nanometer levels. The tiny size, high speed and low power consumption of nanotubes make them play an important role in modern electronic technology.