A new AI company is starting up....
Jul. 7th, 2023 06:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thewayneI'm not going to be talking about the company per se. I'm talking about a generalized problem with AI and a very real problem with the worldwide growth of data centers.
This company just built a supercomputer with 22,000 H100 GPUs. That is TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND EXTREMELY HIGH-END SPECIALIZED GRAPHICS CARDS.
This computer consumes THIRTY-ONE MEGAWATTS OF POWER. That is how much power 6,000 HOMES consume in a DAY.
There are questions as to how this almost constant construction of data centers are going to be powered. For example, in Dublin, Ireland, they have a moratorium in building data centers in the town center because they can't power them without cutting power to the residents! And there are more important questions as to how all this heat will be dealt with.
A few months ago I posted about a data center in England that put a pod of computers into a mineral oil bath and is using a heat exchanger to help heat a local pool. That's pretty awesome. But there are a finite number of pools that need heating. Microsoft and others have been experimenting with putting pods of data centers underwater for cooling.
But the demand for AI has just begun. I just read an article about Y Combinator, a tech startup incubator, over 35% of new projects coming to them for assistance are AI.
We have not yet begun to truly cook this planet! Makes me glad that I'll be gone in 20-30 years or fewer.
Oh, and those H100 GPUs? Can be used for no other purpose. Like crypto mining cards, they can be used for only high-intensity computing. Now, those 22,000 cards don't represent 22,000 computer chassis. They can put like 10-20 cards in one chassis. The cards are designed with no fans and the chassis have big forced air and water-cooling systems to keep them cool. Very different from most conventional PCs.
So the next time someone says global warming isn't real, tell them about ONE supercomputer eating the power of 6,000 homes!
This company just built a supercomputer with 22,000 H100 GPUs. That is TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND EXTREMELY HIGH-END SPECIALIZED GRAPHICS CARDS.
This computer consumes THIRTY-ONE MEGAWATTS OF POWER. That is how much power 6,000 HOMES consume in a DAY.
There are questions as to how this almost constant construction of data centers are going to be powered. For example, in Dublin, Ireland, they have a moratorium in building data centers in the town center because they can't power them without cutting power to the residents! And there are more important questions as to how all this heat will be dealt with.
A few months ago I posted about a data center in England that put a pod of computers into a mineral oil bath and is using a heat exchanger to help heat a local pool. That's pretty awesome. But there are a finite number of pools that need heating. Microsoft and others have been experimenting with putting pods of data centers underwater for cooling.
But the demand for AI has just begun. I just read an article about Y Combinator, a tech startup incubator, over 35% of new projects coming to them for assistance are AI.
We have not yet begun to truly cook this planet! Makes me glad that I'll be gone in 20-30 years or fewer.
Oh, and those H100 GPUs? Can be used for no other purpose. Like crypto mining cards, they can be used for only high-intensity computing. Now, those 22,000 cards don't represent 22,000 computer chassis. They can put like 10-20 cards in one chassis. The cards are designed with no fans and the chassis have big forced air and water-cooling systems to keep them cool. Very different from most conventional PCs.
So the next time someone says global warming isn't real, tell them about ONE supercomputer eating the power of 6,000 homes!
no subject
Date: 2023-07-07 11:57 pm (UTC)WOW, that is ridiculous. :o :o :o
Hugs, Jon
no subject
Date: 2023-07-08 12:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-07-08 01:53 am (UTC)But... but.... the homeless don't increase profits for our shareholders!
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Date: 2023-07-08 06:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-07-08 01:58 pm (UTC)As did providing a basic living stipend to lower economic class people, far out of proportion to the amount paid.
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Date: 2023-07-08 10:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-07-08 05:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-07-08 05:37 pm (UTC)There really needs to be more work done to figure out how we can capture waste heat on both small and large scales to help with power generation. It may not be practical in all instances, but there are probably plenty of cases where it could make a discernible difference. Some scientists are already looking into it.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-09 03:08 am (UTC)It could be done, the question is whether companies can be guilted into doing it. They're not going to do it out of the goodness of their hearts because it would be an expense that would directly minusculey reduce shareholder return, and we can't have that!