Abstract Advancements in Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) cutter technology1 have boosted the development and performance of PDC bits. In establishing their contributions to PDC bit performance, cutters have primarily been evaluated in terms of their resistances to impact and abrasion. Additionally, other characteristics such as interface strength, burst resistance, thermal stability and fatigue are also analyzed. Maximizing these properties improves cutter durability2, which subsequently enhances PDC bit performance and drilling efficiency. Although desirable, the above objectives are not easily attainable. Most of the properties listed above exhibit inverse relationships, therefore maximizing any specific property has normally been achieved at the expense of the others. This caused the industry to focus on the development of technologies that optimize the performance characteristics of cutters3. These efforts have been beneficial, because improvements have been achieved in cutter durability. However, the need to keep extending the application envelopes of PDC bits requires continuous improvements to be made in cutter technology. A newly developed cutter (NDC) is enhancing PDC bit performance. NDC has a unique geometry, which when applied to any cutter, regardless of size or substrate length, redefines the known relationships between WOB, RPM, Torque and ROP. The geometry, which is defined by the following parameters - offset, tangency, leading and trailing angles - has been stress engineered into NDC's tungsten carbide substrate. When applied to any PDC cutter with optimized performance characteristics, NDC's unique geometry helps establish new standards in PDC bit performance. The paper will define a new set of performance qualifiers for PDC cutters. It will establish the relationships between NDC's parameters and the effect they have on the drilling operation. Additionally, it will ascertain how NDC's unique geometry enables achievement of the new performance qualifiers. Analytical and field support will be presented to show how NDC improves drilling efficiency.