Organic Computing in the Spotlight

Organic Computing is an initiative in the field of systems engineering that proposed to make use of concepts such as self-adaptation and self-organisation to increase the robustness of technical systems. Based on the observation that traditional design and operation concepts reach their limits, transferring more autonomy to the systems themselves should result in a reduction of complexity for users, administrators, and developers. However, there seems to be a need for an updated definition of the term “Organic Computing”, of desired properties of technical, organic systems, and the objectives of the Organic Computing initiative. With this article, we will address these points.