Concurrent computing machines and physical space-time

TL;DR

This paper explores the relationship between physical space-time and concurrent computing machines, emphasizing the importance of avoiding computing interferences to ensure causal logical operations, and compares synchronous and asynchronous systems through a space-time perspective.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analogy between physical space-time structures and computing systems, highlighting the role of interferences and causal implementation in concurrency.

Findings

Synchronous and asynchronous circuits mirror Newtonian and relativistic space-time structures.

Avoiding computing interferences is crucial for causal logical operations.

The paper provides a graphic representation linking physical space-time and computing models.

Abstract

Concrete computing machines, either sequential or concurrent, rely on an intimate relation between computation and time. We recall the general characteristic properties of physical time and of present realizations of computing systems. We emphasize the role of computing interferences, i.e. the necessity to avoid them in order to give a causal implementation to logical operations. We compare synchronous and asynchronous systems, and make a brief survey of some methods used to deal with computing interferences. Using a graphic representation, we show that synchronous and asynchronous circuits reflect the same opposition as the Newtonian and relativistic causal structures for physical space-time.