Data Centers, energy and water demand, and how AI fits in.

[CoopersDad]

I would love to hear from DUers what you know and think about the frightening growth in energy and water demand attributable to Data Centers, AI, Bitcoin, and other web-based applications.

I attended two energy-related conferences this past year:

The Oracle Center was the venue for the Sustainable Growth Summit, where the challenge of meeting increasing energy and water demands while simultaneously defending these as "sustainable" was the day's topic.

https://www.svlg.org/silicon-valley-leadership-groups-first-annual-sustainable-growth-summit-driving-innovation-for-a-sustainable-future/

Then, last month I attended the PG&E Innovation Summit 2024, Presented by DISTRIBUTECH®, at the Signia by Hilton San Jose, where Patti Poppe, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and leaders in the applied AI sector discussed how AI would be essential in meeting a spectrum of challenges in the energy and environment sectors, many of which are created by AI.

https://web.cvent.com/event/d0a7c83a-dfb3-46fe-9be5-617b1463173d/summary

Some takeaways:

San Jose plans to build a data center integrated with new housing development.
The power for data centers eventually becomes heat-- the heat can be captured and used for domestic water heating and space heating, thus displacing the need for gas or electricity for those purposes.
It's not a cure, but it moves in the right direction.

Some additional resources:
https://www.iea.org/commentaries/what-the-data-centre-and-ai-boom-could-mean-for-the-energy-sector
https://www.energy.gov/policy/articles/clean-energy-resources-meet-data-center-electricity-demand
https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/global-data-center-electricity-use-to-double-by-2026-report/

[Inkey]

1. The bit based currency

never took into account scaling up its costs verses value. The costs of energy production doesn't seem to factor into its big game plan.
This will be a global problem facing us soon. The heat waste and water usage needs to be addressed.

[littlemissmartypants]

2. And will probably get the same consideration..

And serious remediation that it gets in discussions of the effects fracking has on the water supply.

Bitcoin's very existence is inconsistent with reversing climate change or slowing global warming.

It exists to perpetuate criminality and provides the perfect perverted cover for the sociopathic rich who have little interest in preservation of usable natural resources for the good of society.

[mopinko]

3. the point of ai-

something i read- the point is for the rich to steal the talents of the many that they used to have to pay.

it’s not that i have a problem w it, per se. i think it’s great in med tech. it’s much better at reading images than humans. much better at examining possible chemical combinations, protein folds, etc. in the future it will likely find chemical interactions of drugs we now only find out about when ppl get sick.
it will fuel all kinds of medical innovation.

there’s zero reason to use it to make art or music or write. it will only ever turn out pap.

[littlemissmartypants]

4. AI and blockchain...

Are two different things. Crypto is based in blockchain and is a resources bottomless pit.

ETA

It's unregulated construction of data centers and their activities related to AI and block chains that is not being discussed enough relative to their use of limited natural resources.

[mopinko]

5. yeah, true. but both only work w criminals in the mix.

neither is only any real use in a fair economy.

[littlemissmartypants]

6. I updated my post. ...

And I disagree with this in totality.

AI has proven extremely effective and useful in accurate identification of breast cancer and skin cancer. In some cases it's outperforming physicians trained in radiology. There are other examples, but that’s the first that comes to mind.

[mopinko]

7. which is what i said.

it does depend on ai for what. to ‘write’ news stories, songs, make memes. f that. it will only ever suck.
and it matter what the data source is. ripping ppl off shouldnt b legal. i know my fb art page has been scraped repeatedly.

they’re about to build a big 1 in chgo. luv my gov, and this is the kind of stuff he did w his money b4 he ran. we have a great tech economy here. hoping he’ll make them generate their own power. fortunately, water is readily available here.

the trouble is- it’s the wild west w this shit. and it aint gonna get better in the next 4 yrs, anyway.