The answer to (2) is, IMO, "to make computing cheaper". It's interesting to me that this is not the obvious, default answer (it may not be the most actionable answer but IMO it should at least be noted as a way to frame discussions). I think we're at the tail end of computing's artisanal, pre-industrial era where researchers and programmers alike have this latent, tacit view of computing as a kind of arcana.