if a computer system were able to design a better computer system, how much would it cost to then manufacture said system? I think the implication is that the

if a computer system were able to design a better computer system, how much would it cost to then manufacture said system? I think the implication is that the primary advancements would come in the form of software. IMO it's trivially true that we're not taking full advantage of the hardware we have from a software PoV -- if we were, we wouldn't need SWEs, right? From that it should follow that self-improving software is dangerously effective. once this new computer is running, how much power does it require? What are the on-going costs to keep it running? I mean, lots, sure. But we allocate immense resources to relatively trivial luxuries in this world; I don't think there's any reason to think we can't spare some giant computers to rapidly advance our technology. In a capitalist society, it's happily/sadly pretty much guaranteed that people will figure out how to get the resources there if scientists tell them the RoI is infinity+1. I'd be satisfied with a Large-Language-Model which Those are great asks and I agree, but just to be super clear in case its not: Vinge isn't talking about chatbots, he's talking about systems with many smaller specialized subsystems. In today's parlance, gaggle of "LLMs" equipped with "tool use", or in yesterday's parlance, a "Society of Mind".