Automata
This is the characteristic of a system that is only capable of a discrete, finite set of operations. This is fundamentally distinct from turing-completeness. Automata may describe a programming language or the hardware on which it operates. It could also refer to virtualized hardware like virtual machines.
Markov chains are one type of probablistic automata state machine that rotates between a collection of pre-determined states.
Cellular Automata
A system architecture consisting of a distributed set of independent finite state machines. Cellular automata make up an interesting area of mathematics and game theory research. They were originally popularized by John Conway’s game of life and have since been explored in a wide variety of contexts including the design of consensus algorithms.