Michele Reilly
Memory, Time, and the Physical Limits of Computation
Computing is often described as the abstract manipulation of symbols. In fact, however, every computation is a physical process that unfolds over time and is subject to corresponding limitations. This lecture argues that memory, not logic or inference, sets physical limits on computing. Using the example of quantum random access memory (qRAM), memory is understood as a thermodynamic object: a structured store of correlations that must be generated, stabilized, addressed, and renewed. From this perspective, computational performance depends less on algorithmic depth than on the ability to maintain and access memory states without thermal degradation. The familiar distinction between classical and quantum computing is thus reframed in terms of temperature, stability, and memory bandwidth. The result is a shift from algorithm-centered models to a memory-centered, physically grounded theory in which the limits of computing reflect the structure of time itself.
Michele Reilly is a quantum information theorist reshaping the foundations of quantum security by treating memory, not algorithms, as the central physical constraint on computation. She pioneered early designs for quantum random access memory (qRAM) and now develops frameworks that integrate thermodynamics, complexity, and cryptography to explain both quantum advantage and its limits. Her work explores how quantum computation simultaneously expands what can be computed and destabilizes prevailing assumptions about secure communication. Working across the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and advising government and national security stakeholders, including U.S. defense organizations, Reilly brings a rare perspective linking foundational physics to the long-term viability of post-quantum security and intelligent systems.
