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Frontiers of Computing Systems Research pp 1–59Cite as

Limits of Information Processing Systems

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Part of the book series: Frontiers of Computing Systems Research ((FCSR,volume 2))

Abstract

The explosive increase in the power of computers through the past three decades is well-known and well-documented; see, for example, [1,2,3]. Computers are systems, in the sense that they are built from a large number of components that must all work together to attain a desired end.1 The design and performance of such a complex system of many components has not yet been brought under the rule of quantitative science. Indeed, there are many aspects of system design that are matters of subjective opinion, and upon which responsible designers differ. Here we propose to identify widely applicable features of computer systems that are related to the physical nature of the world, and then to inquire into the role of those physical characteristics in limiting the size, performance, and extendibility of computational systems.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IBM Research Division, P.O. Box 218, Yorktown Heights, NY, 10598, USA

    Robert W. Keyes

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  1. Robert W. Keyes
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA

    S. K. Tewksbury

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© 1991 Plenum Press, New York

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Keyes, R.W. (1991). Limits of Information Processing Systems. In: Tewksbury, S.K. (eds) Frontiers of Computing Systems Research. Frontiers of Computing Systems Research, vol 2. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7032-5_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7032-5_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-7034-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-7032-5

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