There has been a lot of discussion on data centers recently. While anybody who uses the internet has used a data center, nobody actually wants a data center in their home town. These massive warehouses of computation use up equally massive amounts of resources. Wherever a data center is, the cost of utilities goes up. And they're big ugly eyesores.
That sounds like a pretty good reason to want to block a data center from going up in your neighborhood, right? What's not to hate? But unfortunately, this is not so simple as We hate it, so let's get rid of it
.
The AI elephant
You would have to live under a heck of a rock to have not felt the shockwaves that AI has sent through the world. Even the Amish have felt it. And the backbone of the beast making these shockwaves is the data center. Everything that drives whether it is worth fueling the data center explosion depends on whether or not we should be pursuing AI.
Therefore, we need to understand AI.
I have already shared some thoughts on AI in my AI article, so I will try to not repeat myself much. But before we nail the data center into a coffin, it is crucial to see the big picture. We need to know what is truly at stake.
How we handle the data center question is going to decide the fate of the free world.
This statement is as bold as it is true. So you'd better get on board.
The linchpin of history
Back in 1942, the US, UK, and Canada collaborated in utmost secrecy to develop the atomic bomb. These countries and their scientists knew what was at stake, and dedicated vast resources and efforts to unlocking the atom first. Hidden facilities for the Manhattan Project popped up in secluded corners of the US, sometimes comprising entire communities. Within only 3 years the project goals were completed, but the war was just beginning. Ever since then, all wars and diplomacy in the world have depended on the nuclear capabilities of the countries involved and their allies.
This has happened before with inventions like guns and such, it's a classic arms race. We are watching this happen again with AI. But this time things are different. Whomever gets it first is going to control diplomacy for possibly the rest of civilization.
This is also different in that it is not unfolding in secret. It is in the very pockets of the civilian. The word on AI is out, and it is never going to go away.
The front line is in your backyard
While history is no stranger to community war efforts, I have not seen one in my lifetime. I've never lived through a Rosie the Riveter, or donating my toy soldiers to be melted down for musket balls, or buying war bonds, or planting victory gardens, or sewing uniforms for soldiers.
But I think history will reveal that allowing data centers to be built in our neighborhoods, in spite of the eyesore, in spite of the utility costs, in spite of the pollution, in spite of how grossly unpopular they are, is just such an opportunity. And it may be the last opportunity.
Yes, it is a sacrifice. It is an inconvenience. Such things always are. Once you understand what is at stake, ask yourself if the sacrifice is worth it. Is the alternative worth it. This is a decision that you need to make, because you will be accountable for the outcome.
Will you rise to the occasion?
Because this is an arms race. This is a community effort. This is chess, and our enemies desperately want us to tap the brakes and slow down a bit, because they know what is at stake. They know that if we let them overtake us, they will never tap the brakes. That's checkmate.
And if you truly understood what was at stake, you would not give it to them.
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