AI data centers are all the rage right now. Every time generative AI services crunch their big language models to get a chatbot to answer one of your questions, it takes a lot of processing power to analyze all that data. Doing so can consume massive amounts of energy, which means the proliferation of AI is raising questions about how sustainable this technology really is and how it affects the ecosystems around it. Some companies think they have a solution: operate those data centers underwater, where they can use the surrounding seawater to cool and better control the temperature of the GPUs working hard inside. But it turns out that simply dumping something into the ocean isn’t always a foolproof plan to reduce its environmental impact.
This week in Gadget LabWIRED writers Paresh Dave and Reece Rogers join the show to discuss their reporting on underwater data centers and how the race to power AI systems is affecting the environment.
Program Notes
Read Paresh and Reece’s story about the plan to install an underwater data center in San Francisco Bay. Read Reece’s stories about how this is the age of AI hyperconsumption and how to navigate all the AI hype. Read Lauren’s story about the social network populated solely by bots. Read Karen Hao’s story on The Atlantic on how companies like Microsoft are Drinking water from the desert to use for cooling AI data centers. Here is the Black Cat substack Article about the character Harper of IndustryFollow all of WIRED’s coverage of artificial intelligence and climate.
Recommendations
Paresh recommends checking out cookbooks at your local library. Reece recommends soundtrack of the first Twilight movie For all your fall emotions, Lauren recommends the HBO show IndustryMike recommends Anna Weiner’s book. Profile of bicycle designer Grant Peterson in The New Yorker.
You can find Reece Rogers on social media @Thick curly hairParesh Dave is @pearl33Lauren Goode is on @Lauren Goode. Michael Calore is at @sandwich fight@heads.social. Bling the main hotline at @Gadget LabThe show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@Boone Ashworth). Our theme music is from Solar keys.
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