SFI e-Parallax Newsletter
Parallax Ideas
The cannibalistic allometry of the DRAM Crisis
“The great ignominious maintenance-dominated machines of our era, data centers, are competing for the same silicon materials as construction-dominated laptops,” writes SFI President David Krakauer in his latest Beyond Borders column.
“Since high-bandwidth memory for data centers consumes three wafers for every one in a consumer product, the trophic logic of the data center is to emulate the supersized biological organisms that they resemble and eat the bodies of laptops and just about every other consumer-grade technology. The current crisis is what happens when a huge maintenance-dominated machine and a small making-dominated machine consume the same finite supply of matter.”
Read the full essay on Substack, Medium, or the Autumn 2026 issue of Parallax.
Interactive History
Agent-based modeling: worlds within worlds
In the 21st century, surging computational power and dataset availability have made agent-based modeling increasingly useful to decision-makers. With a focus on SFI’s contributions to ABMs for social science, this interactive multimedia story chronicles the development of agent-based modeling and features several pared-down, playable models.
Research News
Proofs & reasons: Math in the mind
Mathematical proofs date back at least to Euclid in 300 BCE, and yet little is known about how human minds solve them. This month, an SFI working group brought together mathematicians, cognitive scientists, computer scientists, and philosophers to ask what it means to understand a proof.
Research News
Building better digital twins
Scientists have been refining ways to model physical structures and systems, from bridges and space shuttles to forest fires and tumors. These “digital twins” mimic their real-world counterparts and evolve alongside them. An October working group met to address breakthroughs and challenges in this approach.
Community News
Neurotechnology & the Recovering Brain
Catch up on our most recent Community Lecture, in which SFI External Professor John Krakauer explores neuroscience, recovery after brain injury, and the future of rehabilitation.
This was the final lecture of our 2026 series. If you missed any of this year's SFI Community Lectures, you can stream them anytime on our YouTube channel.
SFI in the News
Recent notable mentions and opinion essays featuring SFI researchers
External Professors Henry Farrell and Cosma Shalizi wrote an op-ed for The Economist: AI is a technological version of the Homeric songs
External Professor Dan Schrag, with co-author Bibek Raj Kandel, co-wrote an op-ed for The New York Times: The Glaciers Are Collapsing. This Is What We Must Do.
External Professor France Córdova and co-author Vinton Cerf co-wrote an op-ed for Physics Today: On the future of science and its wise pursuit
The Associated Press spoke with Research Fellow Emma Zajdela about the mathematics behind fashion cycles.
Professor C. Brandon Ogbunu has two recent essays for Undark: AI Presents Science with a ‘Ship of Theseus’ Problem and The New Importance of the Scientific Seminar
Parallax
Autumn 2026 Parallax available
The latest issue of SFI's quarterly printed newsletter is now available online. If you would like to receive future issues of the printed Parallax at your home or place of work, please send a request with your physical mailing address to [email protected].
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