Optimal Energy and Resource Distribution in Kardashev Type III Civilizations

Erotokritos Skordilis

2026.079.0052

DOI https://doi.org/10.59332/jbis-079-02-0052

In 1964, Nikolai Kardashev introduced a method for quantifying advanced extraterrestrial civilizations based on their energy production into three levels, namely planetary (Type I), stellar (Type II), and galactic (Type III). Since then, multiple studies have proposed megastructures for producing the amounts of energy required to reach Type II and III levels. This empirical study presents a decision-making framework that optimizes the resource utilization required to elevate an interstellar civilization to a Type III status, focusing on maximization of energy production and computation. Numerical simulations were based on a synthetic galactic environment, where a multidimensional action space incorporating a variety of megastructure construction decisions was considered. The results suggest that a Milky Way-sized galaxy can be fully converted into such an environment within ~1.3 Gyrs.

Keywords: Kardashev Scale, Optimization, Reinforcement Learning, Interstellar economics