The Information-Theoretic Expansion Model (ITEM): Cosmological Acceleration from Structured Information Growth

We propose the Information-Theoretic Expansion Model (ITEM), a novel cosmological framework in which cosmic acceleration arises not from vacuum energy, but from the exponential growth of structured information in the universe. Assuming constant information density, ITEM requires that space expands to accommodate increasing informational complexity. This leads to emergent formulations for both the Hubble parameter H(t) and the cosmological constant Λ(t), with Λ(t) = ξ^2 / 3 when the information growth rate ξ is constant. We generalize the model to allow for time-dependent scale factor, deriving dynamic expressions for H(z) and Λ(z) that align with redshift-based observables. Comparison with recent Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Data Release 2 (DESI DR2) data shows that ITEM reproduces the expansion history predicted by ΛCDM with high precision, and offers viable alternatives under linear and saturating growth assumptions. This positions ITEM as a falsifiable, thermodynamically grounded alternative to dark energy. We discuss implications for the cosmological constant problem, the holographic principle, fractal structure in the cosmic web, and fundamental limits on information processing.