Why is the cost of assuring dependability exponential?

Answer 1

The cost of assuring dependability is often exponential because it involves a comprehensive approach to identifying, mitigating, and verifying potential failures across various system components. As systems grow in complexity, the number of interactions and failure modes increases dramatically, requiring more extensive testing, redundancy, and validation measures. Additionally, early-stage investments in dependable design and development can reduce later costs, but as issues are discovered later in the lifecycle, rectifying them typically becomes far more expensive. Thus, the cumulative resources needed to ensure dependability can escalate rapidly.