Kardashev 101
The Scale
The Kardashev scale, proposed by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev in 1964, classifies civilizations by their energy consumption.
Where We Are
Humanity currently consumes about 18-20 terawatts. Using Carl Sagan's interpolation formula, this puts us at roughly K = 0.73 on the scale — not yet Type I.
Type I requires harnessing ~1016 watts — roughly 500× our current energy production. At historical growth rates, we might reach Type I in 100-200 years.
See the exact calculation →Four Pillars
We track progress toward Type I across four domains:
Energy
Capture and conversion. Solar, fusion, grid infrastructure, storage. The fundamental constraint — all other pillars depend on available energy.
Compute
Processing power. AI, chips, data centers. Enables coordination at scale and accelerates progress in other pillars.
Materials
Physical stuff. Batteries, superconductors, advanced alloys. The atoms that make energy capture and compute possible.
Coordination
Governance. Markets, institutions, treaties. How 8 billion humans organize to deploy technology at planetary scale.
Why It Matters
The Kardashev scale provides a physics-grounded framework for thinking about civilization-scale progress. Energy is the ultimate constraint — and the ultimate enabler.
This site tracks real signals of progress toward Type I, grounded in peer-reviewed research and physical constraints.