AI is fueling a data center boom. It must be stopped. (disconnect.blog)

submitted 7 months ago by luddybuddy@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

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Butlerian Jihad now

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[-] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 23 points 7 months ago

Last month, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made a rare admission of what his future entails. Speaking to Bloomberg at the World Economic Forum, he acknowledged “we still don’t appreciate the energy needs of this technology.” The amount of energy needed to power his vision for AI would require an “energy breakthrough” that he had faith (not proof) would come, and in the meantime we could rely on “geoengineering as a stopgap.”

Sorry we what now?

[-] GrouchyGrouse@hexbear.net 13 points 7 months ago

"We need to keep funding the Wonka factory because one day they will invent the Everlasting Gobstopper and we will live in a post-candy-scarcity age."

alphys-smug stalin-gun-1 stalin-gun-2

[-] BodyBySisyphus@hexbear.net 7 points 7 months ago

We build giant mirrors to reflect the baleful wrath of the daystar until we have time to crack and scale fusion, at which point we launch a full-scale war on Helios and take our place as the supreme power in the solar system. Super simple stuff, get with it.

[-] GrouchyGrouse@hexbear.net 15 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Every tech bro should be sent to a rural farm to hand harvest wheat and battle chickens for eggs and carry water pails for a minimum 3 year re-education. I'm so sick of this dumb shit.

[-] hexaflexagonbear@hexbear.net 13 points 7 months ago

It'll stop eventually. Probably sooner than later. The promises aren't abstract enough to justify taking a loss for too long.

[-] Teekeeus@hexbear.net 8 points 7 months ago

IIRC data centers are also generally not treated as permanent establishments for taxation. Not sure if the OECD BEPS framework for taxation of the digital economy covers this issue.

[-] drinkinglakewater@hexbear.net 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Yeah, most if not all data center companies are actually registered as Real-Estate Investment Trusts

[-] WashedAnus@hexbear.net 7 points 7 months ago

The next AI winter can't come soon enough

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 6 points 7 months ago

At least the data centers aren't mining Bitcoin?

[-] nelsnelson@hexbear.net 12 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

They still are. Most of the big players have been using algorithm specific processors, which aren't portable to the LLM applications.

Plus there's a reward change coming up soon, which usually predicates a bull run in the cryptocurrency "markets". Yes, VC money is drying up for these firms, but the independent miners will keep going. I bet there will even be blockchain based applications which are integrated into AI generative applications. It's gonna be madness.

So, we will probably see doubling or worse existing power consumption with no end in sight.

This sounds crazy, but computing technology resembles a parasitic life form, with exponential consumption rates. Or maybe that's just venture capitalists.