it has been revealed that IBM is building the world’s smallest computer, a 1mm x 1mm piece of tech that’s finer than a posh piece of salt. details are as thin as the CPU itself right now but according to the technology company’s research it costs less than ten cents to make and will be able to monitor, analyze, communicate, and even act on data. 

 

video by IBM research

 

 

the tiny computer forms part of IBM‘s ‘5 in 5‘, a series of annual series of technology predictions borne of the company’s research. the chip packs several thousand transistors into a footprint barely visible to the human eye and exists as one the company’s developments in ‘crypto-anchors’ – tamper-proof digital fingerprints that can be embedded into products, or parts of products to ensure counterfeit protection.

 

the trick is to use these crypto-anchors to make authentic goods identifiable and unclonable. the theory is to use these tiny computers to act as tags, linked to a global network of computers managing a database that records digital transactions, otherwise known as blockchain technology. the crytpoanchors extend blockchain value into the physical realm, adding a digital signature to products that can be activated by, for example, adding a drop of water serum that reveals a logo on product packaging or by using smart technology and a macro lens. 

 

images courtesy of IBM