Matrioshka Brains: Star-Powered Computers
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN points to it as the accessible introduction to Matrioshka Brains whenever very large computational structures come up.
What it is
Isaac Arthur explains the Matrioshka Brain, a hypothetical computer or artificial mind powered by an entire star using nested shells. It covers how such megastructures relate to Dyson spheres and superintelligence.
Recommended by 1 HN commenters across 1 different months, 2017 to 2023.
What Hacker News said
Recommends no1youknowz · 2017-08 · on “A Game You Can Control with Your Mind”
This is one argument as to why we don't see any ET life. Once they reach a sufficient level of technology, instead of going outward, they go inward. Creating Matrioshka Brains and living in virtual worlds. Here's a video by the excellent Isaac Arthur: [this video] Another one by Joe Scott: [LINK] If it indeed turns out that we are living in a simulation, then I guess the question then begs. Why not live in a simulation of your own rules and making? What would be so wrong with that?
Cites cletus · 2022-06 · on “Amino acids found in asteroid samples collected by Japan's Hayabusa2 probe”
> Consciousness is an emergent property of computation It's interesting to see the negative comments about this here because I agree with you. "Consciousness" or even "sentience" is notoriously difficult to define. Even defining what an organism is isn't entirely obvious (eg some might consider a colony of ants or bees as being organism-like). Our views tend to be extremely human-centric because we can relate. I imagine once we actually invent an AGI many will debate if it's truly sentient or conscious for a long, long time afterwards. > Computation is more efficient in smaller, less massy media There are physical limits on computation. A smaller package ultimately has a lower limit. That al
Cites jmyeet · 2023-01 · on “Can Self-Replicating Species Flourish in the Interior of a Star? (2020) [pdf]”
Let me introduce you to Matrioshka Brains [1]. It's not quite what you suggest. In this case it's one (or more) successive shells around a star to use the solar output into computing power. The amount of computing power you could get from this is simply unimaginable. This structure would have similar properties (and honestly isn't really that different to) a Dyson Swarm. Assuming thermodynamics holds the only way to get rid of heat ultimately is to radiate it away into space. At any temperature you're likely to get to this is going to be infrared light. The wavelength of radiated heat is solely determined by temperature. So could you instead radiate away visible light? Technically, yes. Kind