Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a computer enthusiast.

1982		in Time 3 Jan. 1983 18: I’m not a chiphead...but if you don’t keep up with the new developments...you’re not going to have the competitive edge [HDAS].
1986		H.B. Gilmour Pretty in Pink 47: It had to be some chip-head fooling around, and he’d obviously cut into the wrong computer.
2006		www.netlingo.com 🌐 chiphead. Another name for an old-time computer science engineer. see also: gearhead, modemhead, Net head, Web head.