• Dr. Melvin Vopson proposes gravity is not a fundamental force but an emergent property of the universe's computational processes.
• The study suggests gravity arises from the universe's drive to minimize information entropy, similar to data compression in computers.
• This research could offer new perspectives on dark matter, dark energy, and the simulation hypothesis, and influence how we simulate gravity using quantum computers.

A new study by Dr. Melvin Vopson from the University of Portsmouth suggests that gravity is not a fundamental force but rather an emergent phenomenon arising from the universe's inherent drive to optimize information processing. This perspective views the universe as a vast computational system striving to minimize information entropy, much like a computer compressing data. Vopson's research provides a novel interpretation of gravity, potentially linking it to quantum computation and the fundamental nature of information.

• What: Dr. Melvin Vopson's research proposes that gravity is not a fundamental force but an emergent property arising from the universe's drive to minimize information entropy, which is similar to data compression in computers. Ginestra Bianconi's theory proposes gravity may emerge from quantum information theory.
• Who: Key individuals involved are Dr. Melvin Vopson (University of Portsmouth), Ginestra Bianconi (Queen Mary University of London) and Erik Verlinde (Dutch Physicist).
• When: The study by Dr. Vopson was published in AIP Advances on April 2025. Bianconi's research was published in Physical Review D on April 28 2025. Verlinde's entropic gravity hypothesis was proposed in 2011.
• Where: The research is based at the University of Portsmouth, Queen Mary University of London, and builds upon theoretical frameworks in physics and information theory.

Dr. Vopson's theory builds upon the idea that the universe operates as a computational system, constantly optimizing information storage and processing. This perspective offers a novel approach to understanding gravity, potentially linking it to the principles of quantum computation. The concept of 'infodynamics' and the idea that information has mass are central to this framework. Ginestra Bianconi's theory offers a different perspective, rooted in quantum information theory. Her work, published in Physical Review D, suggests a link between statistical mechanics and gravity, using the concept of quantum relative entropy. While both approaches are theoretical, they contribute to the ongoing exploration of the relationship between information, physics, and the fundamental nature of the universe. These theories are distinct from Erik Verlinde's earlier entropic gravity hypothesis which posited that gravity results from changes in entropy on a holographic screen.

"My findings in this study fit with the thought that the universe might work like a giant computer, or our reality is a simulated construct. Just like computers try to save space and run more efficiently, the universe might be doing the same. It's a new way to think about gravity - not just as a pull, but as something that happens when the universe is trying to stay organised."

“Matter tells space how to curve, and space tells matter how to move.”

“I was especially struck by a passage in Gian Francesco Giudice’s recent book Before the Big Bang, where a small girl asks, ‘If your book speaks about the universe, does it also speak about me?’”

Dr. Vopson's proposition offers a reinterpretation of gravity as an emergent phenomenon rooted in the universe's inherent drive for informational optimization, suggesting that the cosmos functions akin to a computational system striving for efficient data compression. This perspective reframes gravity not as a fundamental force but as a consequence of entropy reduction, with potential implications for simulating gravity on quantum computers and understanding the universe as a simulated construct. Bianconi's framework, based on quantum information theory and quantum relative entropy, provides an alternative lens, linking gravity to the statistical mechanics of quantum systems and offering potential insights into the nature of black holes, dark energy, and the cosmological constant, while also raising the possibility that information is not lost within black holes but encoded in their structure. Both approaches, while theoretical, pave the way for exploring connections between gravity, quantum computation, and the fundamental role of information in shaping the universe, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of these fundamental forces and phenomena. Further research is needed to validate these theories and explore their applicability in various physical contexts, potentially leading to testable hypotheses and a deeper understanding of the universe's underlying structure and behavior.