Thread

Improper redaction reveals Google Data Center water and electricity usage

356 points · 458 comments · sensanaty

aliasxneo · 1791145670 · focus · HN ↗
I lived in a smaller rural town near a Google datacenter. During my career there I had routinely come across some outlandish accusations made about our water/power usage from the locals. But for obvious reasons I could never dispute them. I remember we hired a local who'd grown up in the town and he was "really surprised" when he started to see what we were doing to remain efficient.
The current data center craze just feels like the same thing but on a bigger scale.
1. WarmWash · 1791151707 · focus · HN ↗
  The current hysteria has little to do with datacenters and a lot to do with societal unrest about AI.
  1. hackernud3s · 1791154168 · focus · HN ↗
    That can't be true. People obviously believe DCs have big local impact and it really does affect their power bills at least.
    The global impact of AI doesn't change when you force DCs to build in another area.
    hinkley · 1791154797 · focus · HN ↗
    It does if it slows the rate of data center builds and makes it progressively more difficult to site future data centers.
    hackernud3s · 1791157441 · focus · HN ↗
    If you make it hard to build them in the US they will get built in other countries. Do you think Chinese residents get any say over where DCs go?
    rapind · 1791158426 · focus · HN ↗
    Exactly. It's just like when we used to pay workers a living wage. Well where did all of those jobs go amiright?! Stupid peasants can be so annoying... we're just trying to bring everyone into the grand age of abundance!
    Totally not a new robber baron era at all. That's just fake news guys.
    /s

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