# Abstract

A computing system includes a memory array storing cell states of a cellular automaton and update circuitry configured to repeatedly apply a fixed local evolution function to the cell states. Executable computation is encoded as one or more cellular automaton state images loaded into the memory array. The state images may define virtual processor architectures, special-purpose accelerators, nonlinear simulation engines, routing structures, emitters, detectors, interaction regions, and output regions. Applying the fixed local evolution function evolves the loaded image such that computational results are produced in designated memory regions. In some embodiments, compact multi-bit cell states are packed into memory words to provide multiple independent cellular automaton cores, and integrity, redundancy, mirroring, or transform-based validation is applied across cores. The system permits effective hardware architectures and simulation machines to be updated by loading different state images without modifying the physical update circuitry implementing the evolution function.