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IBM Unveils the 'World's Smallest Computer' (mashable.com)
On the first day of IBM Think 2018, the company's flagship conference, IBM has unveiled what it claims is the world's smallest computer. It's smaller than a grain of salt and features the computer power of the x86 chip from 1990. Mashable first spotted this gem: The computer will cost less than ten cents to manufacture, and will also pack "several hundred thousand transistors," according to the company. These will allow it to "monitor, analyze, communicate, and even act on data." It works with blockchain. Specifically, this computer will be a data source for blockchain applications. It's intended to help track the shipment of goods and detect theft, fraud, and non-compliance. It can also do basic AI tasks, such as sorting the data it's given. According to IBM, this is only the beginning. "Within the next five years, cryptographic anchors -- such as ink dots or tiny computers smaller than a grain of salt -- will be embedded in everyday objects and devices," says IBM head of research Arvind Krishna. If he's correct, we'll see way more of these tiny systems in objects and devices in the years to come. It's not clear yet when this thing will be released -- IBM researchers are currently testing its first prototype.
Blockchain and AI in one press release? I Best Buy some IBM stock.
How the hell is sorting even an "AI task"?
Also, blockchain. Still? Seriously?
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
It's just an x86 microcontroller, but we'll throw in exciting buzzwords like AI, blockchain and cryptographic anchors to see if our stock goes up. Since when is "sorting" a "basic AI task"?
1. Does it run Linux?
2. Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these!
Building a Beowulf Cluster in just 13 steps
How many cluster nodes per cm^3?
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
1/2 tsp processors
Add Linux distro to taste
Have gnu, will travel.
Your laptop and phone download data from your underwear?
Man I'm out of date, I ain't got any of this good shit.
Never happened. True story.
Blockchain and AI in one press release? I Best Buy some IBM CRYPTOstock.
It happened already. Jobs for Chess and Go Masters disappeared overnight.
I know, I know, we don't read the article. And this one was crap too. Buzzword noise.
But the block diagram was included, at least, and that's fascinating. Unlike Intel and their little chip, IBM has actually thought about the practicality of using the thing. It comes with an integrated solar cell and an integrated photo-diode communications array for both transmission and receipt of data. It also includes some SRAM. No mention of how many bytes, no mention of data throughput from the array, no mention of actual power consumption (and accompanying heat dissipation).
All coverage appears to be essentially content-free crap designed to pump IBM's stock price.
Maybe somebody can figure out what to do with it. It's going to be difficult since all I/O requires line of sight.
The headline said "IBM has created a computer smaller than a grain of salt" but they compare it to Kosher Salt (Or another variety with the grain size if bigger).
If you want to use an headline like this at least make sure it's smaller than the most popular type of salt. I mean, I've worked in a salt mine where I could find salt rock bigger than your house.
Elok
Did those microcontrollers do AI sorting and blockchain? Nope. Those things just come with a boring data sheet. This one does blockchain. Imagine what it can do!
10Base5 Ethernet.
Have gnu, will travel.
Imagine being able to covertly send a message to someone simply by writing some data into a pile of smart-dust and let it blow around by the global wind currents such as the jet stream. Might take a few days but that's quicker than most international postal services.
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
The picture of a chip sitting on a finger in the article is 64 motherboards.
Each motherboard is 1x1mm, which includes the CPU, SRAM, a PV cell for power and an LED/photodiode for I/O.
Smaller than a relatively big grain of salt.
I'm a little confused about the power of the thing though. They say it's similar performance to a CPU from 1990, which would be a 486.
Except the 486 had over 1 million transistors, this has 100,000. That's more on par with a 286 from the early 80's
Great, now can we attach batteries and motors to a small swarm of these and program them to harvest plaque from artery walls?
Please?
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
He also seems to know absolutely nothing about teeth.
I believe you meant Morton's law.
Well, the 486-DX33 had a power dissipation of 2.5 Watts, which is a lot to radiate off something smaller than a grain of salt.
Not to mention the fact that this sucker probably only has a VGA connector.
I'm sick and tired of these hip, "ironic" sigs. This is an actual, honest-to-goodness no-nonsense sig!