Software-Defined Physics: Information as a Functional Substitute for Mass and Materials

This one-page technical note establishes Software-Defined Physics as a cross-domain control principle demonstrated in both automotive and electrical systems. Through independent simulations, it shows that predictive information can functionally substitute for physical mass and material quality by exploiting temporal degrees of freedom. In automotive suspension, predictive damping reduces energy loss and wear by acting before mechanical transients occur, yielding efficiency gains of approximately 20%. In electrical power delivery, active impedance matching anticipates thermal buildup, suppresses runaway resistance, and achieves efficiency gains of approximately 9% without changing conductor materials. The results demonstrate that many apparent material limits are, in practice, limits of reaction time. By shifting correction from reactive to anticipatory control, dissipation is prevented from localizing as heat, vibration, or structural stress. Conservation laws remain intact; entropy is not eliminated but displaced from physical systems into computation and control. The work formalizes the concept of Software-Defined Physics as a practical, already-deployable engineering regime relevant to vehicles, power grids, and other dynamic infrastructure systems.