Taking the stage at 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, Intel unveiled a new concept design for an ultra-thin computer which the company calls Compute Card. The computer is so thin that it can be easily mistaken as a credit card.
Packed into this tiny form is a motherboard, a hard drive, a Wi-Fi radio, and it can even house the latest Kaby Lake processors from Intel. Intel's Compute Card is so tiny that it cannot even accommodate a USB Type-C port, according to PC World.
The Intel Compute Card works much like a smart card. The device has to be plugged into a monitor to function. The device is just 5mm thick and Intel said that the Compute Card will always keep the same thickness regardless of what hardware specs is added into it.
Tech analysts said that Intel is not targeting the PC crowd with this new Compute Card. However, with the current rise of connected devices, the Compute Card will have a wide range of applications.
Intel is working alongside major electronics manufacturer Foxconn to develop the Compute Card. According to Gizmondo, Intel and Foxconn are not planning to release the Compute Card to the general public yet. Instead, the Compute Card will be built inside large Sharp displays which are usually seen in malls and hotel lobbies. Foxconn recently acquired Sharp.
Intel and Foxconn said that they would launch the Compute Card later this year. The two companies promised that they would be revealing major details about the Compute Card at this year's Computex event in Taiwan.
Moreover, Intel is planning to work alongside major tech companies like Lenovo, Sharp, HP, and Dell to build a specialized docking device for the Compute Card. Since most of these companies are notable PC builders, some tech analysts said that they might build the dock into the PCs that they are building as well.
Intel is yet to reveal the pricing of the Compute card, as well as the estimated timeline when the miniature computer will be available.