This chapter is the origin of T12 (Tradeoffs) at the infrastructure level. In Book 1, Chapter 40, tradeoffs were abstract: time versus space, correctness versus performance. In Book 2, Chapter 20, tradeoffs were applied to algorithm selection. Here, tradeoffs become concrete constraints imposed by scale: you cannot have unlimited throughput, low latency, strong consistency, and low cost simultaneously. Scale forces you to choose.
Every subsequent chapter in this book is a specific instantiation of this tradeoff under a specific scaling constraint. In Books 4 and 5, the same tradeoff framework applies to system designs and code architecture. This chapter provides the vocabulary.