The Energetics of Computing in Life and Machines

This volume investigates the physical limits of computation by comparing the energy efficiency of biological systems with that of artificial machines. The authors, affiliated with the Santa Fe Institute, examine how living organisms process information with remarkable thermodynamic economy, contrasting this with the energy-intensive nature of modern digital hardware. By applying principles from physics and information theory, the book explores the fundamental costs of computation in both domains, asking whether biological strategies can inform the design of more sustainable and efficient computing architectures.

The text serves as a bridge between theoretical computer science, biophysics, and complexity theory. It moves beyond standard algorithmic analysis to address the physical substrate of computation, discussing concepts such as Landauer's principle and the energetic costs of error correction. The writing is technical and analytical, aimed at readers with a background in science or engineering who are interested in the intersection of life sciences and information processing.

Description adapted from Open Library bibliographic data ↗.