Smartphones could soon last a MONTH before running out of battery thanks to a new microchip

Are you constantly worried about running out of battery? Smartphones could one day ‘last a month’ before running out of juice.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge are working on a microchip that can work so efficiently, devices may only need to be charged 12 times a year.

Vaire, the team’s commercial arm, is one of a dozen semiconductor startups the government is backing to put Britain at the forefront of the industry.

Technology Minister Paul Scully said semiconductors were the “bedrock” of the modern world, vital in everything from driving electric cars to fighting disease.

Today, it has announced a two-year, £1.3 million program which will mentor selected startups to help them ‘revolutionize’ the lives of Britons.

Are you constantly worried about running out of battery? Smartphones could one day ‘last a month’ before running out of juice (stock image)

Among them is MintNeuro, a company that has invented a tiny brain implant the size of a peppercorn that could help patients suffering from diseases such as Parkinson’s and epilepsy.

Vaire’s microchip that could improve smartphone battery life is the brainchild of a team of math researchers at the University of Cambridge.

The idea is based on designing a silicon chip processor that needs almost zero power to operate – meaning less need for a better battery.

Although there is very little information about it in the public domain so far, SiliconCatalyst.UK chief executive Sean Redmond, who is leading the project, said: “If they can really deliver on that wild claim, it means you will have a cell phone that will last a month, not a day.

No one in the world today has been able to figure that out on a semiconductor chip – if anyone can do it, this team out of Cambridge in the UK will be able to do it.

The chip from MintNeuro – developed by researchers at Imperia College London – is over 100 times smaller than current modern devices.

Similar devices have been used for decades, for example cochlear implants for deaf people and deep brain stimulators to help people with Parkinson’s cope with tremors.

But the technology behind it hasn’t advanced much either – requiring a long wire under the skin that connects to a circuit board and batteries housed in a heavy metal casing the size of a matchbox.

MintNeuro’s chip can communicate wirelessly and is designed to stay safely in the brain for decades. While the process is currently considered a last resort, the new chips require only minimally invasive surgery

MintNeuro’s chip can communicate wirelessly and is designed to stay safely in the brain for decades.

While the process is currently considered a last resort, the new chips require only minimally invasive surgery.

With fears over China’s dominance in the sector, the government earlier this year announced it would invest £1bn over the next decade in the UK chip industry.

Scully said: “Semiconductors are the foundation of our modern economy and an increasingly integral part of our lives.

“These firms are building on Britain’s research leadership to open the doors to innovation and growth as they design chips that can really change the way we live our lives.

“Whether they are innovating the way we support Parkinson’s patients or are on the verge of increasing the use of AI, these firms are the brightest sparks in the UK’s thriving semiconductor industry.

“This incubator will make sure they have the skills they need to revolutionize people’s lives not just in the UK but around the world.”