Seiko Epson has announced that it has developed the world's first flexible 8-bit asynchronous microprocessor using low-temperature polysilicon thin-film transistors (LTPS-TFTs) on a plastic substrate.

With energy consumption reduced by 70% compared to the synchronous microprocessors now in everyday use, Epson is now researching potential applications for its invention.

The results of Epson's research were announced at ISSCC2005, the International Solid-State Circuit Conference, held earlier this month in San Francisco in the United States.