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The power savings are possible because the chip operates on only 0.3 volts, far lower than most current components.

"Memory and logic circuits have to be redesigned to operate at very low power supply voltages," says Anantha Chandrakasan, professor of electrical engineering at MIT, explaining that the small variations that occur in chip manufacturing become more of a problem when making units on a smaller scale.

The chip is still a working prototype, but the technology could be used in commercial products within "five years, maybe even sooner, in a number of exciting areas," claims Chandrakasan.

It is possible that with further reductions in power consumption the group could create implantable medical sensors that operate on "ambient energy" including body heat or movement from the patient.