Information–Energetic Limits of Irreversible Decisions in Modern Computing Architectures

A computing system that does not produce physically valid irreversible resolutions cannot be regarded as computation in the thermodynamic sense. Current performance and energy-efficiency metrics fail to reflect this, as they overlook decision irreversibility as a fundamental physical act. This work introduces the framework of Information–Energetic Thermodynamics (IET) and defines the Valid Irreversible Resolution Rate (VIRR) as a physically grounded metric of computational legitimacy. VIRR unifies energy, time, and information into a single invariant and quantifies the rate of thermodynamically valid decisions. Using VIRR, we demonstrate that modern computing architectures—including quantum, neuromorphic, and analog systems—operate many orders of magnitude above the theoretical minimum. We conclude that true energy efficiency in computing is not primarily limited by hardware, but by conceptual framing.