The World's Smallest Computer Can Fit on the Tip of a Grain of Rice

The University of Michigan was salty that IBM made a smaller computer than it did, so it made an even smaller computer.

 

In a compelling act of nerd rivalry, engineers at the University of Michigan have created the world’s smallest computer—again.

The University held the record for the smallest computer after it created its 2x2x4mm Michigan Micro Mote in 2014. The Micro Mote (or M3) is fully functional and able to retain its programming and data even when it loses power. But then IBM debuted an even tinier “computer” in February, a 1mm x 1mm chip with “several hundred thousand” transistors. Here it is on a pile of salt, for scale:

“We are not sure if they should be called computers or not,” said David Blaauw, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, who led the development of the new system, in a press release. “It’s more of a matter of opinion whether they have the minimum functionality required.”

But whether or not you can call them a computer, these nanodevices could have wide-ranging uses, especially in medicine where highly accurate sensors that are unobtrusive can help shed new light on disease. Whatever it is, the University of Michigan can proudly claim it has the smallest one in the world.