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posted by mrpg on Tuesday March 20 2018, @12:00AM   Printer-friendly
from the technology-is-getting-bigger-and-smaller dept.

IBM has built a computer smaller than a grain of salt intended for anti-counterfeiting... and it uses a blockchain:

IBM has unveiled what it claims is the world's smallest computer—the size of a grain of salt. The computer will cost less than $0.10 to manufacture, and is intended for logistics applications.

The device is one type of what IBM calls "crypto-anchors"—"digital fingerprints" that can be embedded in everyday items in order to verify their provenance and contents. Another example of this concept is edible ink that can be stamped on pills.

The idea is to use these methods to link things to their records, which are stored on a blockchain.

The computer includes several hundred thousand transistors, static RAM, an LED and a photodetector for communication, and an integrated solar cell.

Also at Engadget, Notebookcheck, and CNET.


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by maxwell demon on Tuesday March 20 2018, @03:26PM

    by maxwell demon (1608) on Tuesday March 20 2018, @03:26PM (#655414) Journal

    The computer includes several hundred thousand transistors, static RAM, an LED and a photodetector for communication, and an integrated solar cell.

    What's missing from that list is non-volatile memory. Oh, and a battery. So I get it will lose all data as soon as it gets dark?

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