Why the AI Industry's Thirst for New Data Centers Can't Be Satisfied

[usonian]

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/why-the-ai-industrys-thirst-for-new-data-centers-cant-be-satisfied-93c7eff5
Archived at: https://archive.is/xkXFg

Supply bottlenecks slow the scramble to build bigger, more powerful facilities

The frenzy to build data centers to serve the exploding demand for artificial intelligence is causing a shortage of the parts, property and power that the sprawling warehouses of supercomputers require.

The lead time to get custom cooling systems is five times longer than a few years ago, data center executives say. Delivery times for backup generators have gone from as little as a month to as long as two years.

A dearth of inexpensive real estate with easy access to sufficient power and data connectivity has builders scouring the globe and getting creative. New data centers are planned next to a volcano in El Salvador and inside shipping containers parked in West Texas and Africa.

Earlier this year, data-center operator Hydra Host found itself in a bind, searching for 15 megawatts of power needed to operate a planned facility with 10,000 AI chips.

OK, that's fine with me. I don't need AI, much less AI in power-hogging data centers from every large company, and every one wanting to be large, all in parallel.

Bottom line with me:
Megawatts are already straining power grids.
Heat is raising the demand for summer cooling.
PG&E effectively doubled electric rates.

My question is:
Is it air conditioning or AI?

Microsoft is already investing in nuclear power. But that takes time, and will we all be dead from heat prostration by the time that AI turns out to be the new pet rock, and the Microsofts of the world become electric companies?

It's like the adage about computers: Every time they get faster, software gets more bloated and complex, so it eats up all the processing power, and things remain so-so.

Every time there's more power available, lately via solar, wind and other, crypto-mining eats it up, and now outrageously inefficient AI data centers.

Kinda sucks to be at the bottom of this food chain, because you and I pay for all of this, including Big Tech's AI ventures. "But Google is free!" ... until you factor in the fact that it's run by advertising, and you pay for ads in every product you buy. Same for the others.

A terawatt here, a petawatt there, a few exawatts and zettawatts around the planet. It adds up.
AI is supposed to serve people ('to serve man?') but what if all the people are cooked?

[Brenda]

1. Yeah.

I'm starting to get bombarded with AI chattycats popping up on all my credit card, banking, utility and shopping websites.

Race to the end of humanity!

(funny Twilight Zone reference, btw)