Essay by Eric Worrall
First published JoNova; Yet more evidence yesterday’s utopian corporate climate mission statements are today’s shredder trash.
Why Big Corporations Are Quietly Abandoning Their Climate Commitments?
Jemma Green
Contributor
Updated Aug 30, 2024, 03:09pm EDTOn the topic of climate and carbon reduction commitments, corporations like Google, Microsoft, and Shell once positioned themselves as leaders in sustainability, setting ambitious net-zero goals to align with global environmental efforts. However, the rapid rise of energy-hungry artificial intelligence is forcing these companies to reconsider—or even abandon—these commitments as they struggle to balance environmental responsibility and making money from new tech.
AI’s energy hunger and corporate climate hypocrisy
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Training and operating large AI models demands immense computational power, typically sourced from data centers in regions where energy is cheaper rather than where renewable energy is dominant. This rapid expansion poses a significant threat to global clean energy transition efforts, prompting the International Energy Agency (IEA) to suggest that governments consider carbon taxes to account for AI’s environmental impact.
The situation is particularly pertinent in the United States, where data centers outnumber those in China nearly 12 to 1. As AI demand skyrockets, so does the need for computing resources and the energy to power it. Utilities in the U.S. are scrambling to increase capacity to support both energy transition objectives and growing AI and manufacturing markets. Research from Goldman Sachs estimates that data center power demand will grow 160% by 2030.
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Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemmagreen/2024/08/29/why-big-corporations-are-quietly-abandoning-their-climate-commitments/
Forbes goes on to claim blockchain purchase of random compute resources might allow more efficiency, but that doesn’t solve the problem of where all that extra energy is supposed to come from.
Former corporate green champions seem to have developed a big interest in nuclear energy.
Of course solar and renewables are still good enough for the peasants, it’s only the special people who need reliable energy for their all important profit making artificial intelligence projects.
Microsoft’s Solar Power Move: Lighting Up Singapore and India’s Future
ByJennifer L
August 30, 2024Microsoft is doubling down on its renewable energy commitments with groundbreaking deals in both Singapore and India. The company securred a 20-year agreement with Singapore’s largest SolarNova project and a significant green energy purchase from India’s ReNew Energy Global.
Shining Bright with Singapore’s SolarNova 8
The long-term contract will see Microsoft buying 100% of the renewable energy exported to the grid from the project, which is managed by EDP Renewables (EDPR).
The SolarNova 8 project is recognized as the largest solar initiative under Singapore’s SolarNova program. It aims to install solar panels on over 1,000 public housing blocks and more than 100 government-owned buildings. Together, they’ll collectively generate up to 200 megawatts (MW) of capacity.
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Read more: https://carboncredits.com/microsofts-solar-power-move-lighting-up-singapore-and-indias-future/
Perhaps I am being too harsh. Obviously companies like Microsoft plan to put 100% of their efforts into renewables, and another 100% of their effort into nuclear.
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The “oh well, we were just virtue signaling about renewables” moment?
Mission statements are just whitewash for your outhouse…in hopes that the neighbors won’t notice the stink…and sometimes it’s only a promise to whitewash your outhouse someday…
How did the editors (/ gatekeepers) at Forbes miss that phrasing ?
.
I’ll buy 100% of what they generate between the hours poetically know as “from dusk ’til dawn” … plus what I’ll actually need to run my AI data model(s) 24/7.
Climate fearmongering has almost run its course. The recent pandemic scheme worked well but is episodic and not suited for sustained fear and anxiety. They’ll find something else to keep the masses in their place.
Stolen from Pookie’s Toons:
Nuclear power is the logical climate committment.
If Climate Alarmists want to reduce CO2 and produce sufficient electricity at the same time, then nuclear is the way to go. It’s not either/or. It shouldn’t be a cause for anxiety.
Article in LA Times today about the lack of electricity to power all the planned data centers. Interesting coming from LA Times. When push comes to shove the AWG crowd knows where we are heading with energy futures, lack of planning, and the reality of “renewables”. Only when it threatens their plans and bottom line will they speak out.
“Article in LA Times today about the lack of electricity to power all the planned data centers.”
The planned data centers should be required to provide their own electricity.
Data Centers should not be a burden on the electrical grid. Private citizens should have priority.
So Data Centers should provide their own electricity, or agree to be the first ones cut off from electricity if the grid is theatened by extreme hot or cold weather.
Since Data Centers don’t want to suffer downtime because of a lack of electricity, they should provide their own electricity, and not be connected to the grid.
So when the inevitable blackouts occur due to net zero policy, we will all move to data centers.
You beat me to it with your remark. We can envision a scene where refugees from a mid-winter power blackout are all huddled around an AI data center’s processor cooling system exhaust fan.
“as they struggle to balance PSEUDO environmental responsibility and making money”
fixed it!
So if they can’t acquire cheap renewable energy- they’ll seek more carbon credits? Maybe that’s a reason the greens want to lock up forests- to sell carbon credits, a new gold mine if the price gets high enough?
The big three in AI — Amazon, Google, and Microsoft — have stated firmly they themselves will not be building or financing the new generation capacity they will need. They will sign power purchase agreements with the power utilities, but that is as far as they will go.
And so the power utilities are being expected to assume all the financial and business risk of supplying the additional power generation capacity.
This leads one to believe that most of these new AI data centers will be located in places which have a proven track record of bringing a new coal-fired power plant on line every other week, or bringing a new 1400 MW nuclear plant on line in five years time or less. Places like China, India, the UAE, etc.
“And so the power utilities are being expected to assume all the financial and business risk of supplying the additional power generation capacity.”
And this means prices will go higher for ordinary citizens.
The Data Centers should provide their own electricity and *they* should assume all the financial and business risks.
This requirement might not prevent them from relocating to China, but it will protect the grid for the rest of us.
Those building the data centers have said unquivocally they will not assume the financial and business risk of supplying their own needs for electicity.
Here in the US Northwest, we are seeing the near certainty of shortages of electricity developing before the end of this decade.
The region’s population is growing because of an influx of well-heeled refugees with money from larger cities in other parts of the country. These refugees are bringing their expectations for access to lots of cheap electricity with them.
The region’s hydropower capacity is maxed out, the region’s green politicians will not allow new gas-fired capacity to be constructed, and certainly not any coal-fired plants as the older ones are being retired without replacement.
Even if we wanted to build additional gas-fired capacity, we only have so much pipeline capacity available to serve it. Adding more pipeline capacity is a complete non-starter in the US Northwest. As for nuclear, the region’s green politicians don’t actively oppose it, but financing for new-build nuclear in the region is completely uncertain at this point.
If the push for constructing AI data centers is real, we will soon find out whether or not the green politicians of the US Northwest stand with the people of the region, or else stand with the Big Tech corporations who will become voracious consumers of the region’s limited supplies of electric power if they get their way.
So, there may be an upside to AI development if it kills the green energy movement.
Its more likely that the green energy movement will kill off AI. Don’t underestimate it. Ruling elites mostly have the ability and will to keep on with disastrous courses, long after its obvious to everyone else that its not working. They manage to repress dissent, disguise or misrepresent the results. People immediately below them go along to get along, or in extreme cases in fear of their careers or even lives.
At the moment there is a contest under way between the US, Britain, Germany and Australia: who can be the first to wreck their electricity grid and take their economy with it. Right now Britain has a substantial lead, but the others are doing their best to catch up, and a little thing like AI providers being unable to get power for server farms is not going to make any difference to any of them.
No AI will win this one. AI is the key to ultimate power, the one ring of technological dominance, or so many believe. There is no way ambitious politicians and corporations will turn their back on AI.
The oligarchs and governments are chomping at the bit to develop AI.
It will provide the ultimate surveillance of the population making Orwell’s Big Brother watchers a reality. No more sporadic, patchwork spying using internet search history, cellphones, purchase records, and traffic cameras after the fact.
Surveillance will be in real time.
No more pesky independent thoughts and communication between the
citizenrysubjects.That’s why there is a not so quiet search for small modular nuclear generators. Having worked on a few data centers, I am familiar with the huge power requirements that need uninterrupted flow.
The MS data center I worked on had two ComEd feeds (in case one failed) backed up with six 4500 horsepower diesel generators (in case both failed).
Even Zuckerberg has tried to appease the right by admitting to the obvious interference in elections. He’s trying to be the victim in a conspiracy perpetuated by the governments rather than being complicit.
He sees the value for his business to get more reliable power whether it is for everyone or just a carve out for him.
With Ed Miliband in charge of Britain’s energy future, Britain will definitely be the first lemming over the cliff. Ed Miliband is an innumerate imbecile who thinks that proclaiming that something will happen means that it will happen. Implementing his lofty vision is just technical details which can be safely delegated to those people who use numbers. When Britain is falling over the cliff, those technicians will be blamed for the catastrophe, not politicians like him.
Not at all. Big data centers and AI systems need large quantities of reliable energy. Gig Government needs reliable energy for its police and monitoring and social credit systems, thus it needs big data centers and AI systems.
Peasants will get along on anything left over and be happy for what they are allowed. That is part of why largish diesel powered generating systems are being installed in CA and other in-the know places.
Erm, besides the energy question, isn’t there a chance that AI might in logic blow the CO2 scam out of the water?
They will quickly be corrected if any such bugs escape.
We better make certain that all comments from day 1 of “Watts up With That” gets onto all of these AI data centers!
As recently noted by Jordan Peterson interviewing Elon Musk, AI is infested with the “woke mind virus”, so don’t expect rationality or truth out of AI.
Lacking any sense of truth, ethics or lasting meaning, AI is likely to take humanity one more step toward self-destruction. To his credit, Musk recognizes this and is attempting to steer a straight path with his xAI, but AI trained on flawed, ethics-free data will be polluted. (Sinful to use an anthropomorphism.)
AI can’t reject its training data so it can’t “change its mind”.
But AI that CAN reject its training leads to a whole other set of potential problems…
“Why Big Corporations Are Quietly Abandoning Their Climate Commitments?”
Has anybody noticed what it still says the bottom of Google’s search engine main page (www.Google.com)?
“Our third decade of climate action: join us”
I just snicker.
I can see these companies building SMR nuke power plants to keep their data centers running.
If such systems ever become functional, you can bet on where their power will go. It won’t be to your house.
A recent discovery shows how Doesnt Matter illuminates the role of CO2 in ‘Climate’ Change.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=1955616b41&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r-5534184381565201084&th=191a6a1b09ee9c14&view=fimg&fur=ip&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ9s6KmNwi7sbX3mrF-FuKlw_LM4y6QSu4LhS1gPqVA8vtYJd_F_3Br7z76KGpp4VS_Q1FEqMnDQrVuYMToHPngh0hDUioMiJ9IGI2wLpGH2qOhsHLQry9XABHk&disp=emb&realattid=ii_191a6a18c814ce8e91
Google Mail? Who could access whatever you’re selling?
They will have steady power. We will have windmills and donkey carts.
I am uncomfortable with AI but it is inevitable. So long as we are going to have it we must regulate it responsibly. One part of that is that they should be made responsible for partially financing their sources of energy. We all know they are energy hogs and I have no problem with that but their energy needs must not mean less energy for me or more expensive energy for me. They should be made to be a part of ensuring we all have plenty of affordable energy. Let us build nuclear plants with financing partially provided by AI and they can share in the profits of the energy providers. That is not a high price to pay for affordable and reliable energy for them.
“We all know they are energy hogs and I have no problem with that but their energy needs must not mean less energy for me or more expensive energy for me.”
I feel the same way. This should be a big issue. It will be a big issue in the future when costs for private citizens increase because of all the increased costs associated with Data Centers.
We should nip this issue in the bud right now by requiring Data Centers to supply their own electricity. Good for them, because they have reliable electricity, and good for the private citizen because they don’t have to pay the additional costs of adding large amounts of electrity to their grids..
There was a recent court ruling about Section 230 that voided the liability exemption in a case where an AI made an unsolicited recommendation and a 10 year old girl ended up killing herself. In a nutshell the case puts all of AI at risk, they could be liable for wrong answers that cause harm. This is going to be interesting….