Marvell makes Linux computer in a plug

The Marvell SheevaPlug is a Linux computer not much larger than a standard plug

A California company has built a Linux computer which is not much larger than a standard electrical plug.

The Marvell SheevaPlug aims to take over many of the functions of a desktop PC, but using a fraction of the power. The device uses a 1.2GHz processor and has 512MB of DRAM and 512MB of Flash memory.

"We have created an open computing platform for developers in a consumer and eco-friendly form factor," said Dr Simon Milner, general manager of the enterprise business unit, consumer and communications business group, at Marvell Semiconductor.

"Marvell's goal is to accelerate the development and availability of innovative software and services."

The device comes with a USB 2.0 port and a Gigabit Ethernet socket. It runs a variety of Linux 2.6 distributions.

The idea behind the device is that it can be used for 'always on' applications such as real-time backup, but consumes only a tenth of the power of a standard PC.

"Marvell is a leader in designing high-performance, power-efficient CPUs," said Linley Gwennap, principal analyst of The Linley Group.

"SheevaPlug leverages this capability to deliver an impressive amount of compute performance in an innovative form factor. As a silicon provider, Marvell is providing a flexible platform for a wide variety of applications that serve consumers and service providers."