The information catastrophe

Currently, we produce similar to 10(21) digital bits of information annually on Earth. Assuming a 20% annual growth rate, we estimate that after similar to 350 years from now, the number of bits produced will exceed the number of all atoms on Earth, similar to 10(50). After similar to 300 years, the power required to sustain this digital production will exceed 18.5 x 10(15) W, i.e., the total planetary power consumption today, and after similar to 500 years from now, the digital content will account for more than half Earth's mass, according to the mass-energy-information equivalence principle. Besides the existing global challenges such as climate, environment, population, food, health, energy, and security, our estimates point to another singular event for our planet, called information catastrophe.