The physical limits of computing

Abstract

Many of the fundamental limits on information processing, from thermodynamics, relativity, and quantum mechanics, are only a few decades away. Novel physically motivated computing paradigms, such as reversible computing and quantum computing, may help in certain ways, but even they remain subject to some basic limits. One can arrive at several firm conclusions regarding upper bounds on the limits of computing. In this article, the author only reviews the fundamental technology-independent limits.