Intel tests solar-powered microchip


A trial processor debuted this week from Intel researchers that performs with notably lower energy consumption. Demonstrated at Intel’s annual developer conference in San Francisco, the processor took the first steps toward low-powered microchips of the future.

The experimental low-processor was demonstrated on a PC that ran off a solar powered microchip. The chip — codenamed “Claremont” — is recognized as a near-threshold voltage operator that improves efficiency while reducing energy waste.

The chip itself was the only solar-powered part of Intel’s demonstration, in which the computer itself ran off of normal electricity. The processor debuted simultaneously with Intel’s hybrid memory cube, a trial project that is an energy-efficient memory interface.

After several years of research, Intel was able to achieve a processor that stays on in an “ultra-low power state” instead of shutting off. Though five times more efficient than current processors, Intel’s chief technology officer Just Rattner stated the device was not ready for commercial use. Intel is still working to balance impressive energy efficiency with product performance.

Claremont” is a redesign of a decade old Pentium processor that used a must simpler design than contemporary chips. This allowed Intel to manageably redesign uncomplicated circuits at much lower power sources. According to The Huffington Post, the Pentium processor’s technology is so dated that the small team of researchers of Intel had to search through eBay to find a motherboard to plug the chip into.

Intel promises more solar-powered research for the future, in which one day it will power small sensors into complicated computer technology that will tackle bigger challenges.