--- title: "What a computer can run · Given a computer, what world can it run? · Simulation Hypothesis" url: https://simulation-hypothesis.com/budget description: "The totals run backwards. Pick a machine, from a phone to every kilogram of the observable universe computing at the physical limit." license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ credit: "Ross Allan Dahl, Simulation Hypothesis (simulation-hypothesis.com)" --- # What a computer can run · the computing totals, run backwards Pick a computer and this page lists the richest world it can run. For every extent, it shows the finest matter floor the computer can handle. The other dials stay at the [Sandbox](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox) baseline: everyone alive is a fully computed mind at functional detail, and time runs forward from 1900\. Every cell opens in the Sandbox with that setup. ## The computer phone laptop AI accelerator biggest supercomputer every computer on Earth Dyson-swarm data centre Sun of Landauer-limit chips Earth-mass ultimate computer Jupiter brain Sun-mass ultimate computer galaxy-mass ultimate computer universe-computer Or any amount of computing **10^21 FLOPS** · every computer on Earth rough Everything computed, always Only what some mind observes ## The richest world it runs The largest world it can run is **one room**, down to **tissue**. Atom by atom, it runs nothing, not even one brain. * Observable universe can’t run at any floor * Milky Way can’t run at any floor * Solar system can’t run at any floor * Earth can’t run at any floor * One room [down to tissue · 10^18 FLOPS](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=2&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion) * One brain [down to cell · 1.1 × 10^18 FLOPS](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=3&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion) ## Every extent at every floor Each cell is the computing that world needs. Filled cells are ones this computer can run. The finest one it can run on each row is outlined. | Extent | Painted set | Organ | Tissue | Cell | Organelle | Protein | Molecule | Atom | Particle | Quark | Quantum, mean field | Quantum, fully entangled | | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | One brain | [18](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=0&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One brain, Painted set: 10^18 FLOPS") | [18](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=1&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One brain, Organ: 10^18 FLOPS") | [18](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=2&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One brain, Tissue: 10^18 FLOPS") | [18](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=3&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One brain, Cell: 1.1 × 10^18 FLOPS") | [24](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=4&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One brain, Organelle: 1.4 × 10^24 FLOPS") | [34](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=5&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One brain, Protein: 1.4 × 10^34 FLOPS") | [43](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=6&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One brain, Molecule: 6.0 × 10^42 FLOPS") | [44](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=7&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One brain, Atom: 1.2 × 10^44 FLOPS") | [47](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=8&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One brain, Particle: 1.3 × 10^47 FLOPS") | [54](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=9&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One brain, Quark: 3.0 × 10^54 FLOPS") | [55](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=10&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One brain, Quantum, mean field: 1.3 × 10^55 FLOPS") | [∞](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=brain&fi=11&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One brain, Quantum, fully entangled: off the scale") | | One room | [18](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=0&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One room, Painted set: 10^18 FLOPS") | [18](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=1&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One room, Organ: 10^18 FLOPS") | [18](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=2&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One room, Tissue: 10^18 FLOPS") | [21](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=3&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One room, Cell: 10^21 FLOPS") | [28](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=4&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One room, Organelle: 10^28 FLOPS") | [38](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=5&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One room, Protein: 10^38 FLOPS") | [46](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=6&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One room, Molecule: 1.5 × 10^46 FLOPS") | [47](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=7&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One room, Atom: 3.0 × 10^47 FLOPS") | [51](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=8&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One room, Particle: 9.0 × 10^50 FLOPS") | [58](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=9&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One room, Quark: 2.1 × 10^58 FLOPS") | [59](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=10&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One room, Quantum, mean field: 9.0 × 10^58 FLOPS") | [∞](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=room&fi=11&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "One room, Quantum, fully entangled: off the scale") | | Earth | [28](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=earth&fi=0&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Earth, Painted set: 8.2 × 10^27 FLOPS") | [29](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=earth&fi=1&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Earth, Organ: 1.3 × 10^29 FLOPS") | [32](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=earth&fi=2&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Earth, Tissue: 3.0 × 10^32 FLOPS") | [42](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=earth&fi=3&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Earth, Cell: 6.0 × 10^41 FLOPS") | [49](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=earth&fi=4&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Earth, Organelle: 6.0 × 10^48 FLOPS") | [59](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=earth&fi=5&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Earth, Protein: 6.0 × 10^58 FLOPS") | [67](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=earth&fi=6&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Earth, Molecule: 6.6 × 10^66 FLOPS") | [68](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=earth&fi=7&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Earth, Atom: 1.3 × 10^68 FLOPS") | [72](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=earth&fi=8&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Earth, Particle: 5.4 × 10^71 FLOPS") | [79](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=earth&fi=9&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Earth, Quark: 1.2 × 10^79 FLOPS") | [80](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=earth&fi=10&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Earth, Quantum, mean field: 5.4 × 10^79 FLOPS") | [∞](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=earth&fi=11&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Earth, Quantum, fully entangled: off the scale") | | Solar system | [28](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=solar&fi=0&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Solar system, Painted set: 8.2 × 10^27 FLOPS") | [35](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=solar&fi=1&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Solar system, Organ: 4.0 × 10^34 FLOPS") | [38](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=solar&fi=2&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Solar system, Tissue: 10^38 FLOPS") | [47](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=solar&fi=3&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Solar system, Cell: 2.0 × 10^47 FLOPS") | [54](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=solar&fi=4&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Solar system, Organelle: 2.0 × 10^54 FLOPS") | [64](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=solar&fi=5&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Solar system, Protein: 2.0 × 10^64 FLOPS") | [74](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=solar&fi=6&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Solar system, Molecule: 6.0 × 10^73 FLOPS") | [75](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=solar&fi=7&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Solar system, Atom: 1.2 × 10^75 FLOPS") | [77](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=solar&fi=8&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Solar system, Particle: 2.2 × 10^77 FLOPS") | [85](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=solar&fi=9&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Solar system, Quark: 4.6 × 10^84 FLOPS") | [85](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=solar&fi=10&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Solar system, Quantum, mean field: 2.2 × 10^85 FLOPS") | [∞](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=solar&fi=11&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Solar system, Quantum, fully entangled: off the scale") | | Milky Way | [34](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=galaxy&fi=0&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Milky Way, Painted set: 8.2 × 10^33 FLOPS") | [45](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=galaxy&fi=1&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Milky Way, Organ: 2.4 × 10^45 FLOPS") | [49](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=galaxy&fi=2&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Milky Way, Tissue: 6.0 × 10^48 FLOPS") | [58](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=galaxy&fi=3&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Milky Way, Cell: 1.2 × 10^58 FLOPS") | [65](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=galaxy&fi=4&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Milky Way, Organelle: 1.2 × 10^65 FLOPS") | [75](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=galaxy&fi=5&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Milky Way, Protein: 1.2 × 10^75 FLOPS") | [85](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=galaxy&fi=6&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Milky Way, Molecule: 3.5 × 10^84 FLOPS") | [86](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=galaxy&fi=7&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Milky Way, Atom: 7.0 × 10^85 FLOPS") | [88](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=galaxy&fi=8&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Milky Way, Particle: 1.3 × 10^88 FLOPS") | [95](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=galaxy&fi=9&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Milky Way, Quark: 2.8 × 10^95 FLOPS") | [96](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=galaxy&fi=10&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Milky Way, Quantum, mean field: 1.3 × 10^96 FLOPS") | [∞](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=galaxy&fi=11&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Milky Way, Quantum, fully entangled: off the scale") | | Observable universe | [45](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=universe&fi=0&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Observable universe, Painted set: 1.6 × 10^45 FLOPS") | [57](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=universe&fi=1&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Observable universe, Organ: 3.0 × 10^57 FLOPS") | [61](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=universe&fi=2&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Observable universe, Tissue: 7.5 × 10^60 FLOPS") | [70](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=universe&fi=3&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Observable universe, Cell: 1.5 × 10^70 FLOPS") | [77](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=universe&fi=4&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Observable universe, Organelle: 1.5 × 10^77 FLOPS") | [87](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=universe&fi=5&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Observable universe, Protein: 1.5 × 10^87 FLOPS") | [97](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=universe&fi=6&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Observable universe, Molecule: 5.0 × 10^96 FLOPS") | [98](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=universe&fi=7&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Observable universe, Atom: 10^98 FLOPS") | [100](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=universe&fi=8&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Observable universe, Particle: 1.7 × 10^100 FLOPS") | [108](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=universe&fi=9&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Observable universe, Quark: 3.5 × 10^107 FLOPS") | [108](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=universe&fi=10&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Observable universe, Quantum, mean field: 1.7 × 10^108 FLOPS") | [∞](https://simulation-hypothesis.com/sandbox?sc=universe&fi=11&lb=multi&co=10&mm=functional&ob=100&tm=linear&sy=1900&su=natural&fw=illusion "Observable universe, Quantum, fully entangled: off the scale") | Numbers are powers of ten: 68 means 10^68 FLOPS. At molecule and finer floors the brains are already computed as matter, so minds add nothing. ## Or minds alone Human brains with no world around them. This is how many the computer can run in real time, at each level of detail. | Scripted | 10^15 | | ----------- | ------- | | Functional | 1,000 | | Biophysical | not one | | Molecular | not one | | Quantum | not one | For scale, about 8.2 billion people are alive.