The goal of this paper is to show why the framework of communication complexity seems suitable for the study of cellular automata. Researchers have tackled different algorithmic problems ranging from the complexity of predicting to the decidability of different dynamical properties of cellular automata. But the difference here is that we look for communication protocols arising in the dynamics itself. Our work is guided by the following idea: if we are able to give a protocol describing a cellular automaton, then we can understand its behavior. Key words: automata, communication complexity, classification, universality.

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tcs Communication complexity in number-conserving and monotone cellular automata