AI is coming for us

[London Wanderer]

2 hours ago, DirtySanchez said:

Read that people were being encouraged to delete old emails to save water as the data centres or whatever they are called use a shit load of water for cooling 

Seemed a bit bizarre at first 

 

Wow

[Traf]

All bollocks.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

10 hours ago, DirtySanchez said:

Read that people were being encouraged to delete old emails to save water as the data centres or whatever they are called use a shit load of water for cooling 

Seemed a bit bizarre at first 

 

It is theoretically right, though highly questionable as to exactly how much of an effect it would have.

Bit of desperation. Bigger issues over water supply and treatment for the EA to get their teeth into.

[Sweep]

12 hours ago, Zico said:

aye, it's like anything hosted on a server really, google, amazon, netflix, spotify etc etc

they need to be powered to keep running under intense high demand, lots of data centres with lots of processing power

you can basically help reduce the carbom emissions of AI by not being polite and starting with a "hello, good day, how are you " message and ending with "thank you" etc
 

 

 

I heard some ridiculous stat, and I can't remember the exact number, but it was something like 0.3Gwh per day of energy used, per day, just by people replying "Thanks" to the likes of ChatGPT when they've asked it a question. I think they said that's the equivalent of what 25,000 UK homes would expect to use in any given day

[Sweep]

11 hours ago, Dimron said:

Recently worked on a Microsoft data centre in Holland... the shed was two storeys and 500m long and packed with energy consuming servers... all so that we can store our mobile phone pictures

I've been in a few, they're weird spooky places, just a very quiet hum about the place. 

[green genie]

9 minutes ago, Sweep said:

I heard some ridiculous stat, and I can't remember the exact number, but it was something like 0.3Gwh per day of energy used, per day, just by people replying "Thanks" to the likes of ChatGPT when they've asked it a question. I think they said that's the equivalent of what 25,000 UK homes would expect to use in any given day

I reckon if someone deleted the Meanwhile in Israel topic electricity would be free for all

[London Wanderer]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyr9nx0jrzo
 

 

[London Wanderer]

34 minutes ago, green genie said:

I reckon if someone deleted the Meanwhile in Israel topic electricity would be free for all

😂

 could power the entire rebuild of Gaza / New Israel 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

Just read that article, and was about to post the link!

That one for the north east is massive.

I wonder if they'll cover the roofs in solar panels?

[Sweep]

52 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Just read that article, and was about to post the link!

That one for the north east is massive.

I wonder if they'll cover the roofs in solar panels?

I'm clearly no expert, but whilst it may reduce grid draw, I'd have thought the available space may not be as much as you think, a data centre roof will be covered in all sorts of exhausts and cooling towers to get rid of the masses of heat generated below. PV does get hot as well, so you'd need to ideally distance them from any cooling plant/infrastructure. I'm sure they will use some PV, just maybe not as much as might initially be thought

[green genie]

8 minutes ago, Sweep said:

I'm clearly no expert, but whilst it may reduce grid draw, I'd have thought the available space may not be as much as you think, a data centre roof will be covered in all sorts of exhausts and cooling towers to get rid of the masses of heat generated below. PV does get hot as well, so you'd need to ideally distance them from any cooling plant/infrastructure. I'm sure they will use some PV, just maybe not as much as might initially be thought

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8772d4jzgo
 

Rolls Royce hoping to deploy small scale nuclear power.

Bad timing that Faslane just had a category 1 incident (risk of leak).

[Zico]

1 hour ago, London Wanderer said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyr9nx0jrzo
 

 

If folk want data, going to need data centres, so, that's it really 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

32 minutes ago, Sweep said:

I'm clearly no expert, but whilst it may reduce grid draw, I'd have thought the available space may not be as much as you think, a data centre roof will be covered in all sorts of exhausts and cooling towers to get rid of the masses of heat generated below. PV does get hot as well, so you'd need to ideally distance them from any cooling plant/infrastructure. I'm sure they will use some PV, just maybe not as much as might initially be thought

Firstly, you would expect that the heat generated and then exchanged could be then used for electricity generation- these modern buildings and systems ought to be fitted with equipment capable of "recycling" energy.

It shouldn't be beyond the wit of man to ensure any exhaust system doesn't conflict panels.

There is an increasing call for large buildings to have these on them, as opposed to covering productive farm land with them.

This place is huge and if the government is going to continue it's charge towards renewable based energy independence, then mandating such builds to incorporate some amount of generation within them would be very beneficial. 

[Sweep]

1 hour ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

 

There is an increasing call for large buildings to have these on them, as opposed to covering productive farm land with them.

 

One of the fairly local farmers has recently covered 2 or 3 massive fields with a "solar farm"  -  I can't see it from where I live, so I don't give a fuck, but there was plenty local moaning about it. Apparently, for the farmer, it's better and easier to collect the "rent" from the solar farm, than it is to actually farm the land

[Sweep]

1 hour ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Firstly, you would expect that the heat generated and then exchanged could be then used for electricity generation- these modern buildings and systems ought to be fitted with equipment capable of "recycling" energy.

 

possibly, I'm probably not as up on thermal dynamics and energy regeneration as you, but I'd have thought that any excess heat from a data centre is going to be to fairly low grade and low temperature, as in sub 70C, and if it's water cooled, probably sub 50C, which can't, as far as my limited knowledge stretches, be efficiently converted into any sort of electricity, less than 5% efficiency probably??!  (I may be way off, as my knowledge is 2 or 3 years old here)

I guess if these data centres were built near residential areas (which I'm going to assume they won't be), then any excess heat could be funnelled into nearby housing (or greenhousing maybe), which would be a good use, without fucking about trying to inefficiently turn it into energy. What I'm getting at, is it'd be better to use the heat, as heat, rather than converting into 'leccy.

 

To be fair, I may be miles off, I've not worked on heatsinking and heat dissipation for years.....fortunately, because it difficult and dull 😁

[gonzo]

Bit like Cheese.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

2 hours ago, Sweep said:

possibly, I'm probably not as up on thermal dynamics and energy regeneration as you, but I'd have thought that any excess heat from a data centre is going to be to fairly low grade and low temperature, as in sub 70C, and if it's water cooled, probably sub 50C, which can't, as far as my limited knowledge stretches, be efficiently converted into any sort of electricity, less than 5% efficiency probably??!  (I may be way off, as my knowledge is 2 or 3 years old here)

I guess if these data centres were built near residential areas (which I'm going to assume they won't be), then any excess heat could be funnelled into nearby housing (or greenhousing maybe), which would be a good use, without fucking about trying to inefficiently turn it into energy. What I'm getting at, is it'd be better to use the heat, as heat, rather than converting into 'leccy.

 

To be fair, I may be miles off, I've not worked on heatsinking and heat dissipation for years.....fortunately, because it difficult and dull 😁

You're quite right on that.

Would take a fair amount for energy conversion etc, which simply isn't there.

Definitely make more sense to utilise it as heat directly. 

Get some of these modern polytunnel tomato growing type jobs on the side of the place!

Oddly enough, they're finding solar farms, with the right grass seed around the panels, make excellent grazing/rest areas for sheep.

Symbiotic type arrangement, as no one needed to cut the grass!

We'd all have to start eating more lamb though.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

Don't go down the thermodynamics route neither!

The most tedious, mind numbing, sleep inducing subject ever covered in an education establishment.

It did prove that the old alchemists had a point though- my eyelids were regularly turned into heavy elements.

 

[Sweep]

1 minute ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Don't go down the thermodynamics route neither!

The most tedious, mind numbing, sleep inducing subject ever covered in an education establishment.

It did prove that the old alchemists had a point though- my eyelids were regularly turned into heavy elements.

 

I have little or no choice, as electronic components shrink in size, the thermal run offs become more important and more of an issue. It's a fucking ball ache, especially in mil/aero projects. I can't wait to retire and get out of it  

[Tonge moor green jacket]

I'd made my mind up before finishing uni that I would never go anywhere near chemical engineering as a career.

Fuck that. 

Synthesis was more interesting, and being a bit of a pyromaniac, I enjoyed my fire retardancy project tremendously. 

Was nearly a very different career path!

More than happy with plants/soils etc now though.

[Dimron]

49 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Don't go down the thermodynamics route neither!

The most tedious, mind numbing, sleep inducing subject ever covered in an education establishment.

It did prove that the old alchemists had a point though- my eyelids were regularly turned into heavy elements.

 

Things will get worse... second law

[Dimron]

7 hours ago, Sweep said:

I've been in a few, they're weird spooky places, just a very quiet hum about the place. 

Except for a Bolton bloke shouting "yer not stitching me up,  I want paying you bastards"

I got involved late on to keep our losses under six digits... these tech companies are ruthless but they don't know how to handle an old fashioned clogger 

Edited August 15, 2025 by Dimron

[Sweep]

27 minutes ago, Dimron said:

Except for a Bolton bloke shouting "yer not stitching me up,  I want paying you bastards"

I got involved late on to keep our losses under six digits... these tech companies are ruthless but they don't know how to handle an old fashioned clogger 

Haha, we've actually got one (a company who supplies some modem type stuff into data centres), currently over 120 days late on paying their last invoice  -  bunch of cunts, they have agreed to pay now, as they need more modules from us

[Tonge moor green jacket]

The ruination of British industry.

So many companies, often small, fucked over by cash flow. 

Counterproductive in the long run.

[Sweep]

1 hour ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

The ruination of British industry.

So many companies, often small, fucked over by cash flow. 

Counterproductive in the long run.

It's the way of business the world over, keep your cash for as long as you can. We have some customers, who we extend 180 days credit to, and they're still late making payments, and hold for as long as possible