Ada Infrastructure’s Post

The AI Boom is Coming, But at What Cost to the Planet? 🤖 🚀 🌍 ❓ Recently, I came across a fascinating article from Caltech that highlights the importance of sustainable computing in the world of AI. According to the article, the computing industry is already responsible for a staggering 2.1-3.9% of global carbon emissions, and this number is set to skyrocket with the growth of AI and other energy-hungry applications. The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced a new $12 million multi-institutional research initiative over the next five years to delve deeply into this topic, with an ambitious goal to reduce the carbon impact of Information and communication technology (ICT) by 45% by 2030. Here are a few key takeaways from an informative interview with Adam Wierman who is a part of the NSF Expeditions team. 1. Adopting generative AI can increase carbon emissions by 10-20 times, potentially doubling the carbon footprint of IT in just 5 years if improvements aren't made. 2. There are 2 types of carbon usage for a data center: a. Embodied carbon - that goes into the manufacturing of the hardware and the building. b. Operational carbon - from running and doing the training. 3. Attention needs to paid to the local impact where these data centers are setup: - Impact on energy and water resources for people who live there. - Pollution associated with the backup generators. - Data centers create few local jobs beyond construction, as they require minimal human operation once built. 4. Adam is also on the advisory board of Verrus backed by Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP). This startup company is working on optimizing the way power works in the data center, of the way scheduling works, of the type of storage and backup power systems that you build in the center. 5. There is a need to move toward a data-center design which is responsive to the grid, shifting workloads to times when green energy is available and reducing loads during peak demand periods (Peak shaving). 6. To minimize embodied carbon, we need to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of manufacturing computing resources, leveraging the three R's: reduce, reuse, recycle. 🔗 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dC8qJPS6 #SustainableComputing #AI #Artificialintelligence #ClimateAction #GreenTech #DataCenterSustainability #TechForGood #InnovationForSustainability

Today, I was excited to share the inspiring journey of Green Mountain AS - Data centres as we lead the way in driving the green standard within the datacenter industry. At Green Mountain, sustainability isn't just a buzzword; it's at the very core of everything we do. I gave the audience at Cloud Expo Europe Frankfurt some insight in what we belive will be the biggest challenges for a DC provider in the AI age, and talked about importance of our commitments to: 🌱 Environmental and social impact 💡 Energy sources and consumption ❄ Cooling capabilities 💥 Heat re-use 🤝 Governmental and regulatory cooperation Sustainability is not just a moral imperative but also a strategic necessity in the operation of data centers in the AI age. By embracing sustainable practices, we can minimize environmental impact, promote social equity, and drive economic prosperity while harnessing the transformative power of artificial intelligence. #settingthegreenstandard #datacenter #sustainability

🏢🌍 The challenge in long-term sustainability investments in buildings and cities is balancing economic viability with environmental responsibility. 💡 AI and Quantum can optimize investment decisions, resulting in a 25% increase in sustainable infrastructure projects. AI analyzes data for cost-effective solutions, while Quantum computing models complex economic and environmental interactions. 🌆🌱 By leveraging AI and Quantum technologies, we contribute to SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) by promoting green infrastructure, reducing carbon footprint, and fostering resilient urban development. Let's support global efforts for sustainable and prosperous cities, benefiting both the environment and society. #SustainabilityInvestments #AI #Quantum #SustainableCities 👉 @quantum-london, @obliquelife, @united-nations, @jointsdgfund, @material-change-institute, @the-quantum-insider, @the-quantum-computing-summit @quantum-strategy-institute, @entangled-positions, @quantum.tech, @airminers, @kindcommunity

In an extraordinary collaboration, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Microsoft have joined forces to create a new material that could revolutionize rechargeable batteries. This achievement, powered by #ArtificialIntelligence, #HighPerformanceComputing, and #QuantumComputing, is a testament to the limitless possibilities when #technology and #science converge. 🔬 For more insights on this groundbreaking discovery, check out this Forbes article: https://lnkd.in/gSQP-UCu   🔎 If you’re eager to learn more about the fascinating intersection of technology and science, this Science webinar is a must-attend: https://lnkd.in/g_3t38dP   🌎 It’s truly inspiring to witness how technology is amplifying the efforts of scientists, paving the way for a better future for us and our #planet !

When asked why we don't focus on #hardware #climate and #nature #tech at Climate Collective I explain that the type of #incubation support we're really good at delivering - and the type of distributed globally diverse founder communities that we curate - is more beneficial for early stage companies working on digital or data solutions. While I don't think #digital and #data is enough to solve global climate and nature challenges I think they are foundational to ACCELERATE the pace of deployment of hardware, to inform and course-correct policy and to make it easier for everyone, everywhere to take meaningful - and impactful - action on climate. That said, I'm not able to appropriately quantify the impact that data and digital can have on climate goals. That's why I was excited to see that World Economic Forum has broken down the impact of one of the subcategories - earth observations. By 2030, WEF estimates that the economic opportunity afforded by Earth observation (EO) insights will surpass $700 billion while directly contributing to the abatement of 2 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases annually. That's pretty exciting. The reality is that the field of AI for Earth is moving so quickly. Each day, there are massive improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and precision of models. Even more exciting is that some pioneers in this space (!) are building #opensource collaborative models to help all of us make better use of EO. Enter CLAY. Bruno Sanchez-Andrade Nuño and Dan Hammer have built Clay as a no-code, point-and-click interface over EO models - many of the underlying modes are open source, open data, open for any use. This means that people like you and I can find things a lot easier with greater detail - things like recently renovated playgrounds or flooded quarries or small fishing boats. Take a look at Clay and for inspiration, read the report by World Economic Forum and Deloitte to learn about the exponential growth in satellite technology and its applications across various sectors, including agriculture, disaster response and renewable energy. #digitaltech #innovation #management Johannes Loschnigg, Lori Garver, Michael French, Kate Murphy, PhD, Andrew Cantino, Andrew Lehren, Meher Rehman, Neil Davies, David Ackerly, Paul Tigan Tim Christophersen Bernhard Kowatsch Samhir Vasdev

30 Years. 30 Prizes. 30x Impact. 2024 marks 30 years of XPRIZE tackling the world’s greatest challenges head-on. From addressing the climate crisis to helping bring clean water to all, we’re just getting started. The world as we know it has evolved rapidly since 1994. The year XPRIZE launched: 🖥️ The internet was born. AI and robotics were in their nascent stages, and quantum computers didn’t exist. 🌎 The average global temperature was 54.7°F, it is now 55.6°F. Carbon removal technologies were not in development. 🔥 Wildfires burned 1,640,238 hectares in the US. By 2023, that number had risen to 2,633,636 hectares. 🩺 Life expectancy for women was 79.1 years, and 72.3 for men. It has now increased to 80.2 and 74.8 respectively. As humanity’s most threatening problems continue to grow, we’re faced with more urgency than ever for cutting-edge ideas, scientific discovery, and critical thinking. We’re addressing the problems above, and countless others, through our groundbreaking competitions including #XPRIZECarbonRemoval, #XPRIZEHealthspan, #XPRIZEWildfire, and #XPRIZEQuantumApplications. We’re dedicated to ensuring innovation never ceases to benefit humanity. Join us as we continue to architect a future of equitable abundance. Learn more about our 30 years of impact here. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g_uMzkaq

WHAT IS THIS Microsoft has taken innovation underwater with Project Natick, a data center located off Scotland's coast. This project uses the natural cooling properties of the ocean to improve efficiency and reliability. WHY THIS IS AWESOME - Sustainable cooling: The ocean provides natural cooling, reducing energy use significantly. - Enhanced reliability: With nitrogen purging, component reliability increased eightfold due to the absence of oxygen. - New data center design: Future data centers may not look like traditional ones, revolutionizing the tech landscape. - Environmental benefits: Reducing energy consumption with ocean cooling can help lower carbon footprints globally. #Innovation #Sustainability #Technology

"#ArtificialIntelligence (AI) is curating your social media feed and giving you directions to the train station. It’s also throwing the #fossilfuel industry a lifeline. Three of the biggest tech companies, #Microsoft, #Google and #Meta, have reported ballooning #greenhousegas emissions since 2020. Data centres packed with servers running AI programs day and night are largely to blame. AI models consume a lot of #electricity, and the World Economic Forum estimated in April that the computer power dedicated to #AI is doubling every 100 days. Powering this boom in the US, where many AI tech pioneers are based, have been revitalised #gas power plants once slated for closure." (...) The Conversation UK #environment #climate #climatechange #computing #technology

I'm curious to know a few thoughts on this statement about AI demands on energy"...we're not going to hit the climate goals anyway because we're not organized to do it," ...demand for AI workloads will lead to a significant increase in datacenter capacity, energy consumption, and carbon emissions – a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40.5 percent through 2027, causing energy consumption to grow by 44.7 percent over the same period. https://lnkd.in/gxbkBpFY

#AI products are power hungry and data-processing heavy, increasing the workload of existing centers and increasing energy use. The high energy demand and carbon emissions of data centres, especially in warmer climates that require more intensive cooling, can make operators’ green commitments and obligations more challenging to fulfil. https://lnkd.in/eQS2Tqyu