<!-- bryant-content-generator:start --> # A civilization cannot software-optimize its way... > A civilization cannot software-optimize its way indefinitely around a missing electrical system. Efficiency changes the number of useful computations obtained per watt; it does not make watts cease to exist. **Source:** [[articles/The Gigawatt Is the New Measure of War|The Gigawatt Is the New Measure of War: AI, Demography, and the Civilizational Contest Between America and China]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “A civilization cannot software-optimize its way indefinitely around a missing electrical system. Efficiency changes the number of useful computations obtained per watt; it does not make watts cease to exist.” — Bryant McGill https://bryantmcgill.com/quotes/quotes-civilization-cannot-software-watts-cease-exist ``` <!-- bryant-content-generator:end -->