From Prescriptive Programming of Solid-state Devices to Orchestrated Self-organisation of Informed Matter

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Description/Abstract

Achieving real-time response to complex, ambiguous, high-bandwidth data is impractical with conventional programming. Only the narrow class of compressible input-output maps can be specified with feasibly sized programs. Efficient physical realizations are embarrassed by the need to implement the rigidly specified instructions requisite for programmable systems. The conventional paradigm of erecting stern constraints and potential barriers that narrowly prescribe structure and precisely control system state needs to be complemented with a new approach that relinquishes detailed control and reckons with autonomous building blocks. Brittle prescriptive control will need to be replaced with resilient self-organisation to approach the robustness and efficency afforded by natural systems. Self-organising processes ranging from self-assembly to growth and development will play a central role in mimicking the high integration density of nature's information processing architectures in artificial devices. Structure-function self-consistency will be key to the spontaneous generation of functional architectures that can harness novel molecular and nano materials in an effective way for increased computational power.