The International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is an American multinational technology company which has unveiled the world’s smallest computer with blockchain during the Think 2018 Conference in Nevada. The computer measures only 1mm by 1mm and are finer than any piece of salt. The chip is powered by the same processors which powers the x86 chip used in Nineties IBM desktop computers and has revolutionized the world of computers.
The manufacturing cost of these chips is less than 10 cents. It can monitor, analyze, communicate and even act on the data which is given to it. The company gave a statement saying, “It packs several hundred thousand transistors into a footprint barely visible to the human eye and can help verify that a product has been handled properly throughout its long journey. It will allow it to monitor, analyze, communicate, and even act on data. 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.”
The tiny chip is a complete computer system on a chip. It features a processor, memory, storage and communication module. The chip will also work with blockchain. It will act as a data source for blockchain applications along with basic AI tasks like sorting the given data. The chip will also help to track the shipments like goods and can detect theft, fraud, and non-compliance as it is designed to be embedded within price tags and product packaging, tracking and logging the movement of goods during shipping. This will enhance the supply chain security. The computer units are in their prototype stage at the moment and a commercial release date is not available yet.