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"Google is most likely renting [Deepmind] its TPUs [computational infrastructure] at a discount"
Energy devouring AI-infrastructure hidden in another Alphabet business unit. And while they argue it's all green energy, there are grave systemic issues. 1/x https://venturebeat.com/2020/12/27/deepminds-big-losses-and-the-questions-around-running-an-ai-lab/
Energy devouring AI-infrastructure hidden in another Alphabet business unit. And while they argue it's all green energy, there are grave systemic issues. 1/x https://venturebeat.com/2020/12/27/deepminds-big-losses-and-the-questions-around-running-an-ai-lab/
Ever since writing an exploratory research piece on the impacts of AI developments on energy consumption and climate change, I have been contacted by various people around the world concerned about the rise of this computational infrastructure. 2/x https://medium.com/@AINowInstitute/ai-and-climate-change-how-theyre-connected-and-what-we-can-do-about-it-6aa8d0f5b32c
In Sweden, people are worried about forests being cut for wind energy to power data centers. Google is first in line to buy up green certificates before local communities can benefit from it. Swedes see precious - carbon absorbing - natural environments being destroyed. 3/x
Google promised to "making clean power accessible to nearby communities". The Björkvattnet Onshore Wind Farm powers 175 MW for an equivalent of "175,000 homes in Sweden". 4/x
https://www.evwind.es/2019/09/30/ge-renewable-energy-delivers-ppa-to-google-to-sell-wind-energy-from-swedish-bjorkvattnet-cypress-onshore-wind-farm/71096
https://www.evwind.es/2019/09/30/ge-renewable-energy-delivers-ppa-to-google-to-sell-wind-energy-from-swedish-bjorkvattnet-cypress-onshore-wind-farm/71096
However, if Google gets their way, how much of this 175 MW will their hyperscale data centers slurp up? 5/x
A similar controversy is currently playing out in North-Holland, The Netherlands: local and regional politicians are deeply divided over plans to build mega datacenters with Microsoft and Google. 6/x
While hailed by some as sources of employment and economic growth, those against argue that "Data centers would consume all the green energy that is generated, they do not contribute to the energy transition and they ruin the landscape." 7/x
Here is a link to public news with more sources: 8/x https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=nl&tl=en&u=https://nos.nl/artikel/2359419-onrust-in-lokale-politiek-noord-holland-door-bouw-twee-mega-datacenters.html
Now these regions have functioning democracies and educated politicians and citizens who are fighting for a sustainable future - You wonder what ensues in jurisdictions without such democratic guardrails. 9/x
A researcher from India interviewed me and others about the effects of consolidation of computational infrastructure and power and the need to build data centers regionally on countries' ability to retain control over critical infrastructure. 10/x https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-020-0219-9.pdf?proof=t
Recently, the controversy over @timnitGebru being fired by Google resurfaced the energy consumption issue related to large language models. 11/x https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/12/04/1013294/google-ai-ethics-research-paper-forced-out-timnit-gebru/
While these systems are also drenched with problematic biases and fuel misinformation, both issues that have gotten attention over recent years, the energy issue might actually be even more touchy for Google... 12/x
...It strongly clashes with urgent needs to move to a more sustainable society. These needs are increasingly supported by people across the electoral spectrum - not just those who typically are experimented on or suffer from new technological advances. 13/x
Clearly, Dr. Gebru's story again confirms the need to put all pressure we can on Google and other internet and compute corporations to prevent disaster - and remember this is an EXPONENTIAL problem, we have no time to waste. 14/x
In short, Google's efficiency mantra is a fraud. The story of Deepmind's increasing dependence on infrastructure is yet another symptom of an industry that is itself a Frankenstein monster that can't hide its face any longer. We need all hands on deck to prevent the worst. 15/x
