The thermodynamic freedom of a thermodynamic computer

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2608.27938v1
• Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2026 05:27:01 GMT
• Title: The thermodynamic freedom of a thermodynamic computer
• Abstract summary: We assess the thermodynamic efficiency of a simulation model of a thermodynamic computer trained to perform a standard machine-learning task.<n>We show that different inference protocols allow the computer to operate within 40% of the thermodynamic limit of efficiency without loss of accuracy.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: Thermodynamic computers are stochastic physical devices designed to perform calculations at the thermal energy scale. Their operation is constrained by the equations of stochastic thermodynamics, among which are a set of bounds, known as speed limits, that relate a thermodynamic computer's run time to its computational progress and the heat it dissipates. Using the Wasserstein speed limit we assess the thermodynamic efficiency of a simulation model of a thermodynamic computer trained to perform a standard machine-learning classification task. On this task the thermodynamic computer is as capable as a simple multilayer perceptron. We show that different inference protocols allow the computer to operate within 40\% of the thermodynamic limit of efficiency without loss of accuracy, or to perform inference increasingly rapidly at fixed accuracy and thermodynamic efficiency. These results indicate that a thermodynamic computer designed for a particular task retains considerable freedom in its thermodynamic operation.

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