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"Nothing about the severe impact on the environment" I literally said: "AI data centers continue to burn vast amounts of energy and the arms race to build the
by simonw 11mo ago
"Nothing about the severe impact on the environment"
I literally said:
"AI data centers continue to burn vast amounts of energy and the arms race to build them continues to accelerate in a way that feels unsustainable."
AND I linked to my coverage from last year, which is still true today (hence why I felt no need to update it): https://simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/31/llms-in-2024/#the-environmental-impact-got-better https://simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/31/llms-in-2024/#the-envi...
- jennyholzer3 10mo agoDo you think anything should be done about this environmental impact? Or should we just keep chugging along as though there is no problem at all?
- simonw 10mo agoI think we should continue to find ways to serve this stuff more efficiently - already a big focus of the AI labs because they like making money, and reduced energy bills = more profitable inference. I also think we should use tax policy to provide financial incentives to reduce the environmental impact - tax breaks for renewables, tax hikes for fossil fuel powered data centers, that kind of thing.