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Carmack: World Could Run on Older Hardware if Software Optimization Was Priority

Gaming pioneer John Carmack believes we're not nearly as dependent on cutting-edge silicon as most assume -- we just lack the economic incentive to prove it. Responding to a "CPU apocalypse" thought experiment on X, the id Software founder and former Oculus CTO suggested that software inefficiency, ...

Gaming pioneer John Carmack believes we're not nearly as dependent on cutting-edge silicon as most assume -- we just lack the economic incentive to prove it. "More of the world than many might imagine could run on outdated hardware if software optimization was truly a priority," Carmack wrote, arguing that market pressures would drive dramatic efficiency improvements if new chips stopped arriving.His solution? The veteran programmer noted that such changes would come with significant tradeoffs: "Innovative new products would get much rarer without super cheap and scalable compute."

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