Thread

Improper redaction reveals Google Data Center water and electricity usage

384 points · 503 comments · sensanaty

eleventen · 1791146118 · focus · HN ↗
There is sometimes incorrect conflation between what the datacenter is permitted for and what the datacenter actually draws.
> Many articles about current or future AI data centers report the number in the water permit they apply for as the amount of water they actually use day to day. But this almost never happens. [1]
This is from the problematic and often wrong but in this case correct Andy Masley. It's not completely clear to me whether this number is observed usage or a theoretical permitted maximum, in which case the actual usage could be even lower. It could be either.
[1] <a href="https://blog.andymasley.com/p/the-ai-water-issue-is-fake?open=false#%C2%A7every-popular-article-about-how-ais-water-use-is-bad-for-the-environment-in-the-last-year-has-had-a-wildly-misleading-framing" rel="nofollow">https://blog.andymasley.com/p/the-ai-water-issue-is-fake?ope...
1. bix6 · 1791146674 · focus · HN ↗
  Ok but if you are permitted for some obscene number you could at any point draw that down no?
  1. Dylan16807 · 1791153998 · focus · HN ↗
    Why, to flush money down the drain? It would be crazy to go near your limit except in the hottest part of summer.
2. XCabbage · 1791147536 · focus · HN ↗
  Why is Masley "problematic" and what's he been wrong about?
  1. eleventen · 1791148538 · focus · HN ↗
    He’s a Pro-AI ideologue who engages in the same motivated reasoning he complains about others using. His piece on heat island effects fell over under scrutiny because he just doesn’t have the analytical background to actually do these investigations.
    matteoraso · 1791149884 · focus · HN ↗
    What? I follow him on Twitter, and he's pretty open worried about AI existental risk. He just wants accurate reporting about the situation.
    gfysfm · 1791154975 · focus · HN ↗
    > His piece on heat island effects fell over under scrutiny
    Do you have a link for this? I'm interested in learning more about why Masley is wrong on heat islands.
  2. bluecheese452 · 1791148640 · focus · HN ↗
    He won’t toe the official line. You will always get a vague claim of being “problematic” if you don’t challenge the status quo.
  3. scarmig · 1791151415 · focus · HN ↗
    He's done just terrible things, the accusations are true. No one wants to associate with him because of all the bad things he's done. Everyone knows he's a liar, and anyone asking for evidence of it is a perfidious pro-AI ideologue.
    simianwords · 1791179136 · focus · HN ↗
    What terrible things has he done and what accusations? I'm going assume I won't get any reply to my comment
    zahlman · 1791185645 · focus · HN ↗
    I'm pretty sure that comment was intended as sarcastic.

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