After reading the wikipedia page on Landauer's principle, I'm left with some vague questions.
If irreversible computations have an effect on entropy in the environment, does transmitting a bit so it is not lost have an interesting effect too, even if it is done with a conventional computer and not a reversible one?
The amount of data transmitted over the internet has reached over a zettabyte per year - does thermodynamics tell us anything interesting about the consequences? Yes, it produces heat, but beyond that...
To truly benefit from this theoretical advantage, reversible computing requires reversibility at all levels, including the electronics and the program itself. Simply retransmitting a bit requires fan-out which is itself forbidden in reversible circuits, so it doesn't buy you anything.
If irreversible computations have an effect on entropy in the environment, does transmitting a bit so it is not lost have an interesting effect too, even if it is done with a conventional computer and not a reversible one?
The amount of data transmitted over the internet has reached over a zettabyte per year - does thermodynamics tell us anything interesting about the consequences? Yes, it produces heat, but beyond that...