Handheld PCs that are as powerful as laptops could soon be available thanks to a breakthrough at the University of Edinburgh.
By studying the behaviours of nanoscale wires and a creating a tool that can develop tiny microchips, researchers believe that mini-PCs could one day be on the high street.
Experts at the university have developed a computer program that allows engineers to predict and avoid problems with wires in a matchbox-sized supercomputer.
Dr Michael Zaiser, of Edinburgh’s school of engineering and electronics, said: ‘What we found is when we made these wires smaller and smaller they started to behave in a very funny way.
‘Holding a supercomputer in the palm of your hand will one day be possible - and we are going to make sure all the wires are in the right place.’
It is thought that the micro-PCs would be the size of a mobile phone and would therefore be smaller than Microsoft’s Ultra-Mobile PCs, which has a seven-inch touchscreen display.
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