The online magazine Mashable reports that an integrated solar cell supplies the tiny computer with energy and that alongside the CPU it also has memory and a controller. The microcomputer was presented at IBM’s in-house conference Think 2018 .

In terms of performance, the microcomputer is comparable to the X86 generation from the 1990s. The manufacturer expects a cost per unit of around 10 cents once the computer reaches series-production readiness. Among other things, the tiny thing could then be used as a crypto anchor integrated directly into various products to prevent theft or protect the exchange of goods against product counterfeiting. According to IBM, this is responsible for annual losses of 600 billion US dollars to the global economy. Such tasks have been performed by RFID tags to date. However, the microcomputers developed by IBM have a much wider range of applications