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Intel Experimental Processor Runs On Solar Power
An anonymous reader writes "For the IDF keynote, Intel showed an experimental processor that is solar powered (incandescent light shining on a solar panel). The whole computer itself still runs on regular power; only the processor itself is solar. From the article: 'The concept processor, code-named Claremont, can run light workloads on solar power by dropping energy consumption to under 10 milliwatts, said Justin Rattner, chief technology officer at Intel, during a keynote address at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. That is low enough to keep a chip running on a solar cell the size of a stamp.'"
It's not for you.
It's for people who actually see the sun sometimes.
That makes sense. Now what if you want to run dark workloads?
AnandTech has some more details.
(T>t && O(n)--) == sqrt(666)
If a device's appetite for power falls below what can be gathered passively from the environment, then it doesn't need a battery or power cord, and can run practically forever, which is a big impact.