Intel Compute Card Announced at CES 2017: A Credit Card Sized Computer

Intel launched its "Compute Stick" in 2015 and it evolved with time to accommodate more powerful processors and Windows 10. At CES 2017, Intel has launched a credit card sized computer which is called "Compute Card"

Intel has been the centre of innovation for pocket sized PCs and the company has now launched "Compute Stick" which is a small credit card sized PC complete with a CPU, GPU, RAM, wireless connectivity and even storage. The "Compute Card" uses a USB-C plus connector which is a variant of the USB-C as reported by cNet. This connector gives all the necessary connections like USB, PCIe as well as DisplayPort and HDMI ports.

This Compute Card will feature low energy processors which was the case with Compute stick. Intel has said that processors with TDP of less than 6W will make it to the Compute Card including 7^th Gen vPro processors to handle the heavy computing tasks. The Compute Card has an internal locking mechanism cooling setup is also integrated in the dock. It can be installed internally or inserted externally via the dock.

Intel writes "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 ever wider range of devices. "

This modular concept is really interesting as a card sized device can hold a complete power of a PC and can make TV or a refrigerator as a smart device. The manufacturers and device makers can design a Compute Card slot into their devices and then utilize the processing power of the card according to their needs. This will reduce the time and effort needed to design and validate compute blocks.

 The company has said that Compute Card will be made available in mid-2017 with a range of processor options to choose from. The pricing is still not announced by the company.