What does the computer look like? Users will point to something like a laptop or a box that houses all components in a stationary variant. There are also minimized PCs in dongles or mini workstations. What if the computer could be as small as ... a grain of salt, or even smaller?
During IBM Think 2018, the company presented the smallest operating computer in the world. One could say that this is a great achievement, but do not be fooled by the sensation that comes from this fact. Inside you will find the architecture of x86 from around the beginning of the 90s of the last century. Therefore, this is not something we would like to launch a new game or dig into cryptocurrencies.
It is worth knowing, however, that producing such a computer costs less than 2 cents and can be a device that will monitor and analyze data, and even allow communication with specific subsystems.
The main application of this miniature computer is to be ... blockchain. As it turns out, it is supposed to be a source of data for blockchain applications - it will track, for example, the supply of specific products and detect thefts and embezzlement. In addition, he can perform simple operations based on artificial intelligence and machine learning.
According to IBM, this is just the beginning. The project is at an early stage of development and it will not be offered to clients. Nevertheless, further work is planned to improve this invention - soon the performance inside will be a little more and it is possible that the size of the computer itself will be further reduced.