4 ms·

Too big to fail is the goal. If the world is powered by openai but it aint making a profit in 2028 they can just put their "were a utility like water" facemask

Too big to fail is the goal. If the world is powered by openai but it aint making a profit in 2028 they can just put their "were a utility like water" facemask on and get bailed out.

kortilla 1y ago
That’s a fun trope but it’s a terrible outcome for shareholders.
- jacquesm 1y ago
  Good.
- avs733 1y ago
  Which means it will be made into a terrible outcome for everyone.
- throwaway290 1y ago
  shareholders like a business that can never fail...
- lemonlearnings 1y ago
  Less terrible than being allow to go bust though.
stevenwoo 1y ago
At least in the USA, I think if consumers realized their power bills going up every year are tied to these new data centers, there would be more opposition to data centers going up politically. https://apnews.com/article/electricity-prices-data-centers-artificial-intelligence-fbf213a915fb574a4f3e5baaa7041c3a https://apnews.com/article/electricity-prices-data-centers-a... I don't know if the electricity markets work differently in other countries.
- MountDoom 1y ago
  Taxpayers subsidize data centers in many other ways. These are prestige projects for politicians, so they often get long-term tax breaks and other preferential treatment. I think it's part vanity, part a misunderstanding about the economic benefits of a datacenter (which are nearly nil, as they employ very few people and produce nothing for the local market), and part just a desire to score brownie points with wealthy corporations, which might mean donations, campaign support, or other perks for the politician who makes it happen.
- noosphr 1y ago
  The power bill going up is because the US, and the West in general, bet on renewables and a low energy future. Neither of those things turn out to be a good fit for the new economy. The only thing left for people who derided nuclear for the last 40 years is to hope this is a bubble that sends us back to the 17th century when it pops. Anything else means we have to invest trillions in nuclear right now.
  - Drblessing 1y ago
    The amount of money being invested in AI should've been invested into nuclear, both fusion and fission. The AI bubble will burst, but the energy bubble never bursts.
  - DavidPiper 1y ago
    Genuine question from a non-American: What is "the new economy"?
    - noosphr 1y ago
      Malthusianism for computers. Moore's law is dead. The only way to increase compute is to increase the power we feed to computers. AI is just the shiniest example. Everything else will follow suit until electricity costs increase enough that it doesn't make sense to throw any more computation at it. Any country that doesn't have energy to spare will be in the position of countries which didn't have food to support armies before the industrial revolution.

Too big to fail is the goal. If the world is powered by openai but it aint making a profit in 2028 they can just put their "were a utility like water" facemask on and get bailed out.

kortilla 1y ago

That’s a fun trope but it’s a terrible outcome for shareholders.

jacquesm 1y ago
Good.
avs733 1y ago
Which means it will be made into a terrible outcome for everyone.
throwaway290 1y ago
shareholders like a business that can never fail...
lemonlearnings 1y ago
Less terrible than being allow to go bust though.

stevenwoo 1y ago

At least in the USA, I think if consumers realized their power bills going up every year are tied to these new data centers, there would be more opposition to data centers going up politically. https://apnews.com/article/electricity-prices-data-centers-artificial-intelligence-fbf213a915fb574a4f3e5baaa7041c3a https://apnews.com/article/electricity-prices-data-centers-a... I don't know if the electricity markets work differently in other countries.

MountDoom 1y ago
Taxpayers subsidize data centers in many other ways. These are prestige projects for politicians, so they often get long-term tax breaks and other preferential treatment. I think it's part vanity, part a misunderstanding about the economic benefits of a datacenter (which are nearly nil, as they employ very few people and produce nothing for the local market), and part just a desire to score brownie points with wealthy corporations, which might mean donations, campaign support, or other perks for the politician who makes it happen.
noosphr 1y ago
The power bill going up is because the US, and the West in general, bet on renewables and a low energy future. Neither of those things turn out to be a good fit for the new economy. The only thing left for people who derided nuclear for the last 40 years is to hope this is a bubble that sends us back to the 17th century when it pops. Anything else means we have to invest trillions in nuclear right now.
- Drblessing 1y ago
  The amount of money being invested in AI should've been invested into nuclear, both fusion and fission. The AI bubble will burst, but the energy bubble never bursts.
- DavidPiper 1y ago
  Genuine question from a non-American: What is "the new economy"?
  - noosphr 1y ago
    Malthusianism for computers. Moore's law is dead. The only way to increase compute is to increase the power we feed to computers. AI is just the shiniest example. Everything else will follow suit until electricity costs increase enough that it doesn't make sense to throw any more computation at it. Any country that doesn't have energy to spare will be in the position of countries which didn't have food to support armies before the industrial revolution.