The University of Michigan Has Upped IBM’s Ante with the World’s Smallest Computer

Ever since the first room-size behemoths were built, we’ve been on a steady course towards smaller and faster computers. That’s why you can fit a computer in your pocket that is orders of magnitude more powerful than huge super computers from just a couple of decades ago. In 2014, the University of Michigan took that to an extreme with their Michigan Micro Mote, but was soon one-upped by IBM. Now they’re back with a computer so small that it’s dwarfed by a grain of rice.

By some definitions, the University of Michigan’s new chip is the world’s smallest computer. But, that all depends on what you consider to be an actual computer. Unlike the Michigan Micro Mote, this new version, along with IBM’s chip, has no ROM (read-only memory) and so it can’t store data when it’s turned off. Virtually all modern computers can retain their data without power, which is why you don’t have to copy an operating system to RAM (random-access memory) every time you boot up your PC. By conservative definitions, that means that these aren’t true computers.

That doesn’t mean they aren’t impressive, though. The transistor count is roughly on par with home computer processors from the early ’80s, and it even has the ability to transmit data wirelessly using visible light. That light is also how the tiny computer gets power, because it’s too small for conventional power supplies. The researchers at the University of Michigan envision the new computer being used in the biomedical industry, where size and power are significant constraints. But, for now, at least they’ve upped IBM’s ante on the world’s smallest computer.