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Robust-first computing: Beyond efficiency

Dave Ackley · talk · Watch on YouTube

Computer architecture & CPUs

What it is

Dave Ackley gives a high-level introduction to robust-first computing, which prioritizes robustness over efficiency in computer architecture. A sorting demo illustrates the idea.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN recommends it as a short, clear explanation of robust-first computing by its originator, and as a philosophy relevant to building with unreliable components like LLMs.

  • 3 people recommended it
  • 3 different months
  • 1 strong recommendations
  • first 2015, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “I'm a huge fan of Dave Ackley's "Robust First" computing architecture, and his Moveable Feast Machine.”

    Robust-first philosophy applies to programming with LLMs.

    DonHopkins, 2025-07 · Strong recommendation · in “LLMs bring new nature of abstraction – up and sideways”

  2. “Other things you might like is the research around”

    Suggested as further reading on robust-first computing.

    sitkack, 2020-01 · Recommendation · in “Which Machines Do Computer Architects Admire? (2013)”

  3. “here is a far better explanation by the terms creator”

    Far better explanation by the term's creator.

    nelsonmandela, 2021-01 · Recommendation · in “If memristors act like neurons, put them in neural networks”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: computer architecture, robustness, movable feast machine, indefinite scalability, sorting

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