On 21/2/24 18:37, Stephen Loosley wrote:
Generative AI’s environmental costs are soaring — and mostly secret
By Kate Crawford, 20 February 2024
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00478-x
On 23/2/2024 08:38, Tom Worthington wrote:
> I tried asking Copilot:
> "What country does Microsoft Copilot use as much power and water as?"
> It replied:
> ...
To this too-long-term Canberra resident, the things we see coming out of
generative AI look progressively more like APS bureaucratese.
'Oh, I'm sorry Minister, I didn't realise you wanted an *answer*.
'Would you prefer a 2-year mega-millions McKinsey-style consultancy, or
a Royal Commission, or both?'.
_____________________
Generative AI is the new bitcoin. Pundits used to compete for which
country they could compare Bitcoin's power use with. Some nominated were:
* Greece
https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/bitcoin-uses-more-energy-than-american-airlines-and-each-1-billion-in-inflows-is-equal-to-owning-1-2-million-cars-bank-of-america-says/articleshow/81573515.cms
* Ireland
https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2018/01/16/bitcoin-mining-uses-as-much-power-as-ireland-and-why-thats-not-a-problem/
* Netherlands
https://portal.craigsip.com/home/insights/overview/is-cryptocurrency-going-mainstream
* New Zealand https://chainometry.com/blog/bitcoin-and-the-blockchain
I put a section on this in my Sustainable computing course:
https://www.tomw.net.au/ict_sustainability/process.shtml#bitcoin
I tried asking Copilot:
"What country does Microsoft Copilot use as much power and water as?"
It replied:
"Microsoft Copilot, like all datacenters, consumes energy and water.
Let's delve into the specifics:
1. **Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE)**: This metric gauges how
efficiently a datacenter utilizes energy. The closer the PUE number is
to "1," the more efficient the energy use. Microsoft tracks PUE globally
and across operating geographies. While newer datacenters and those
operating at peak utilization tend to be more efficient, the goal is to
get as close to "1" as feasible¹.
2. **Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE)**: WUE measures the efficiency of
water consumption for humidification and cooling in datacenters. It's
calculated by dividing the liters of water used by the total annual
power needed to operate datacenter IT equipment (measured in kWh)¹.
Now, let's address your question. Microsoft's water consumption for its
cloud data centers increased by **34%** in 2022, totaling **6.4 million
cubic meters** of water. Generative AI workloads are partly responsible
for this surge³. However, it's essential to note that this data pertains
to Microsoft's overall operations, not specifically to Microsoft Copilot.
In summary, Microsoft's datacenters, including those supporting Copilot,
have a significant environmental impact. However, pinpointing a specific
country for comparison would require more detailed data. 🌐💧🔌
Source: Conversation with Bing, 22/02/2024
(1) How Microsoft measures datacenter water and energy use to improve
Azure ....
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/how-microsoft-measures-datacenter-water-and-energy-use-to-improve-azure-cloud-sustainability/.
(2) Microsoft's water consumption jumps 34 percent amid AI boom.
https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsofts-water-consumption-jumps-34-percent-amid-ai-boom/.
(3) Microsoft 365 admin center Microsoft 365 Copilot usage - Microsoft
365 ....
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/activity-reports/microsoft-365-copilot-usage?view=o365-worldwide.
(4) Measuring usage, adoption, and the impact of Microsoft Copilot.
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/copilot-for-microsoft-365/measuring-usage-adoption-and-the-impact-of-microsoft-copilot/ev-p/4051091.";
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Roger Clarke mailto:[email protected]
T: +61 2 6288 6916 http://www.xamax.com.au http://www.rogerclarke.com
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
Visiting Professorial Fellow UNSW Law & Justice
Visiting Professor in Computer Science Australian National University
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