Intel is working on a new computer that’s no bigger than a credit card and can easily fit a wallet. At least, theoretically! Named Compute Card, the under-development product is reportedly 5 mm thick, essentially making it tough to actually put inside a wallet.
With a form factor of 94.5 x 55 x 5 mm, Compute Card is basically a stand alone computer powered by the seventh-generation Intel Core Kaby Lake processor and comes with its own storage, memory, as well as wireless connectivity.
However, because of its tiny size, you can not connect the device to displays using USB Type-C or other similar ports. At present, Compute Card can only function when slotted into a larger device — that’s more or less the same way how smart cards work.
PC World reports that Intel has so far been reluctant toward making Compute Card geared toward PCs. That’s indeed a questionable move, although we are fairly sure that the chip giant will tailor it for PCs sometime in the future.
In addition to its small form factor, Compute Card is also coined as the device for the future by many because of its potential to prevent devices from getting outright obsolete. For example, rather than purchasing a brand new laptop or desktop, each time a user feels like upgrading, they can do so by upgrading only the Compute Card and slot it in their devices.
“Device makers simply design a standard Intel Compute Card slot into their device and then utilize the best Intel Compute Card for their performance and price needs. This reduces the time and resources needed to design and validate the compute block and helps speed up innovation to bring the power of intelligence into an even wider range of devices”, read a statement by Intel.