Every computing system incurs an energy cost, not just a monetary price, connected to the work needed to run a program and heat dissipated. A group of physicists and computer scientists have expanded the modern theory of the thermodynamics of computation by introducing mathematical equations that establish the minimum and maximum energy cost of computational processes depending on randomness. They have uncovered a way to lower-bound the energetic costs of arbitrary computational processes, with potential applications in making computing more energy-efficient. This research aims to find new ways to reduce the energy consumption of real-world machines, with implications for energy-efficient computer chip architectures.
https://www.santafe.edu/news-center/news/new-work-extends-the-thermodynamic-theory-of-computation