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Something that doesn’t get talked about much is that the apparently limitless capacity of cloud computing has very real impact on the world. Go visit any locat

Something that doesn’t get talked about much is that the apparently limitless capacity of cloud computing has very real impact on the world. Go visit any location where cloud providers locate their data centers and you’ll see sprawling campuses of giant windowless concrete buildings surrounded by asphalt and tall fences. These sit on land carved out of huge destroyed forested areas. And all of them require extensive electrical networks which also clear natural areas and break up animal habitats. The loss of these natural areas isn’t factored into cloud costs at all so companies spin up many more computing resources than they need which necessitates the building of yet more data centers. Maybe if companies were made more cognizant of the physical impacts of their computing by moving back to self hosted environments the cancer of data centers on the countryside could be slowed and one day reversed.

im3w1l 3y ago
Eh, aren't the footprints of these datacenters really low compared to all the other things we use space for? Also they don't really need premium land they can be built basically anywhere, so you could put them where nothing could grow anyway. I don't think the space is a concern, and including it weakens your argument. However electricity is a more serious concern. Data centers do use a significant amount of the world electricity, and the production of that electricity does come with concerns and tradeoffs.
- rlupi 3y ago
  Electricity and water.
solardev 3y ago
IMO it's probably better for everyone, including the environment, to concentrate these data centers in random out of the way places rather than trying to, say, further cram them into pieces of San Francisco or Seattle. People like to live by nature, and the nice places are already super impacted. These centers aren't going to make a meaningful difference vs your average industrial factory, solar farm, farm farm, etc. But spreading them out will mean less efficient cooling, transportation of goods and labor, less efficient routing, etc. and have climatic impacts. The industrialization of the countryside is also providing jobs in areas that would typically be extremely depressed or resort to resource extraction economies to survive.
southernplaces7 3y ago
>Go visit any location where cloud providers locate their data centers and you’ll see sprawling campuses of giant windowless concrete buildings surrounded by asphalt and tall fences. These sit on land carved out of huge destroyed forested areas. And all of them require extensive electrical networks which also clear natural areas and break up animal habitats. Really? Compared to all the other space we use to put our human things, data centers are literally nothing. Insignificant. I'd grant you the electrical consumption argument, maybe but your point about their vastly destructive use of space is absurd.

im3w1l 3y ago

Eh, aren't the footprints of these datacenters really low compared to all the other things we use space for? Also they don't really need premium land they can be built basically anywhere, so you could put them where nothing could grow anyway. I don't think the space is a concern, and including it weakens your argument. However electricity is a more serious concern. Data centers do use a significant amount of the world electricity, and the production of that electricity does come with concerns and tradeoffs.

rlupi 3y ago
Electricity and water.

solardev 3y ago

IMO it's probably better for everyone, including the environment, to concentrate these data centers in random out of the way places rather than trying to, say, further cram them into pieces of San Francisco or Seattle. People like to live by nature, and the nice places are already super impacted. These centers aren't going to make a meaningful difference vs your average industrial factory, solar farm, farm farm, etc. But spreading them out will mean less efficient cooling, transportation of goods and labor, less efficient routing, etc. and have climatic impacts. The industrialization of the countryside is also providing jobs in areas that would typically be extremely depressed or resort to resource extraction economies to survive.

southernplaces7 3y ago

>Go visit any location where cloud providers locate their data centers and you’ll see sprawling campuses of giant windowless concrete buildings surrounded by asphalt and tall fences. These sit on land carved out of huge destroyed forested areas. And all of them require extensive electrical networks which also clear natural areas and break up animal habitats. Really? Compared to all the other space we use to put our human things, data centers are literally nothing. Insignificant. I'd grant you the electrical consumption argument, maybe but your point about their vastly destructive use of space is absurd.