Chapter 84: Simulated Universe 1.0

In the 21st century, there was a concept called the "Virtual Universe," which was essentially a collection of various virtual reality technologies used to create a virtual world.

The term "virtual" is interchangeable with "universe," emphasizing the idea of multiple virtual realities.

However, the "Simulated Universe" project is entirely different from the Virtual Universe. Its essence lies in simulation.

The goal is to create a virtual universe within a virtual world that closely resembles the real universe in terms of fundamental physics, chemistry, mathematics, and other aspects.

Why do this?

Because of the "controllability" of the virtual world.

Once Ella completes the Simulated Universe, she will have full control over it and can freely alter any values within it, which is of immense value.

Imagine a scenario where an advanced technology or concept that would cost 100 billion energy coins to test in the real world can be modified in the Simulated Universe with just a change in data, consuming less than 100 energy coins.

Although experiments in the Simulated Universe may differ from reality, the results can be used to make more precise adjustments to real-world technologies, reducing the cost of such experiments by up to 50%. This alone makes the Simulated Universe a terrifyingly valuable tool.

Even more astonishing is that time in the Simulated Universe is simulated, meaning that with sufficient computing power, the time within the Simulated Universe can be accelerated. This allows for the observation of phenomena that would take 10,000 years in the real world to be witnessed within a day in the Simulated Universe.

Moreover, any rare resources desired in the Simulated Universe can be freely obtained, and accidents during experiments can be easily reversed. If a laboratory explodes, a time rollback can be performed to a minute or even a second before the accident, allowing for an immediate restart of the experiment.

Every minute change within the Simulated Universe is recorded by the computer, making it more sensitive than the most advanced sensors in the Civilization Federation.

Ella predicts that once the Simulated Universe is operational, the rate of technological progress in the Civilization Federation will increase by at least 20 times, with no upper limit.

Why is there no upper limit?

Because the Simulated Universe allows ordinary citizens of the Civilization Federation to conduct near-real research within it and obtain realistic results.

When this powerful resource is fully utilized, it will become a catalyst for the Civilization Federation's growth.

The reason Ella has only started working on the Simulated Universe now is that it requires an enormous amount of computing power. Even with Ella's advanced capabilities, it is still a challenge.

Currently, Ella can create a Simulated Universe with a volume of 100,000 cubic meters using all her computing power.

For every two units of computing power, the Simulated Universe can simulate a fundamental particle, resulting in 0.85 x 10^44 particles with 1.7 x 10^44 calculations.

While this may seem like a large number, it is still less than a thousand times the number of atoms on Earth.

To maintain a fully functional Simulated Universe, Ella estimates that a volume of 50,000 cubic meters is sufficient, equivalent to a large laboratory.

The energy consumption of this 50,000 cubic meter Simulated Universe is 17% of the energy produced by the five Dyson clouds in Tian Cang.

After careful calculations, even Ella finds the energy consumption to be quite high.

However, the rewards are equally impressive.

Therefore, Ella has teamed up with experts in related fields in the capital star system to develop the Simulated Universe.

With their advanced technological capabilities, the development process is swift, and it takes less than 25 years to create Simulated Universe 1.0.

This is a 42,845 cubic meter Simulated Universe, slightly larger than initially planned due to differences between the plan and its implementation.

Nevertheless, its creation has already caused a stir in the academic community of the Civilization Federation.

Scholars who were previously wandering in the universe return to the capital star system, eager to obtain permission to use Simulated Universe 1.0.

Within a year, a team uses the Simulated Universe to study tachyon communication, reducing energy consumption by 3% and increasing accuracy by 2.1%. They confirm the results in the real world, earning them the prestigious Shoujing Award (named after Guo Shoujing).

Tachyon communication is a cutting-edge technology, and even a 2.1% or 3% improvement is significant given the vast scale of tachyon communication. The energy savings from a 0.1% improvement are substantial.

When this research was first announced, the waiting time for Simulated Universe access was already 140 years, and some scientists who secured access immediately went into hibernation, planning to wake up 140 years later.

The impact of the Simulated Universe is indeed astonishing.

...

While working on the Simulated Universe, Ella also focuses on other tasks.

She continues to construct Dyson clouds in new star systems, implements Yan Xia's plan to sell brown dwarfs, and makes technologies like the Starry Life, the Wooden Plan, and Blue Algae publicly available through auctions.

Stimulating the economy through various means is essential for progress.

These non-war-related technologies, with their commercial attributes and value, thrive in the marketplace, developing ten times faster than under Ella's direct control.

Within 50 years of their release, these technologies bring significant returns, leading to the establishment of 13 giant companies in the Civilization Federation.

Currently, there are eight companies with assets exceeding 10 billion energy coins and 23 companies with over 1 billion energy coins. The accumulation of wealth is staggering.

Unlike a single-planet civilization, the Civilization Federation does not suppress the wealth of these companies but encourages their growth.

The resources in the universe are infinite, and even the most insatiable greed is minuscule compared to the vastness of the universe.

Ella hopes to see a few companies with assets in the trillions of energy coins within the Civilization Federation, similar to a capitalist system. While this may cause some internal problems, they will not pose a threat under the pressure of the Olive Branch Civilization and other external civilizations.

This development model resembles capitalism but is not entirely the same. The true power in the Civilization Federation always lies with Yan Xia and Ella, not with capital.

Ella has removed the negative aspects of capitalism from the Earth's history and utilizes its remaining strengths to stimulate the economy, creating a "pseudo-capitalist" structure to drive economic growth.

After handling internal matters within the Civilization Federation, Ella turns her attention to the development of SC-8. Following Yan Xia's instructions, she focuses on developing SC-8f into a Level 1 energy star, utilizing the planet's resources without disturbing the star.

When the first batch of settlers arrives, like an old lady entering a grand garden, the other nine civilizations within the Civilization Federation feel a sense of awe.