[LINK] Within years, large AI systems will need as much energy and water as entire nations.

[Roger Clarke]

> On 21/2/24 18:37, Stephen Loosley wrote:
>> Generative AI’s environmental costs are soaring — and mostly secret
>> By Kate Crawford, 20 February 2024
>> https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00478-x

On 23/2/2024 08:38, Tom Worthington wrote:
 > I tried asking Copilot:
 > "What country does Microsoft Copilot use as much power and water as?"
 > It replied:
 > ...

To this too-long-term Canberra resident, the things we see coming out of 
generative AI look progressively more like APS bureaucratese.

'Oh, I'm sorry Minister, I didn't realise you wanted an *answer*.

'Would you prefer a 2-year mega-millions McKinsey-style consultancy, or 
a Royal Commission, or both?'.

_____________________


> Generative AI is the new bitcoin. Pundits used to compete for which 
> country they could compare Bitcoin's power use with. Some nominated were:
> 
> * Greece 
> https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/bitcoin-uses-more-energy-than-american-airlines-and-each-1-billion-in-inflows-is-equal-to-owning-1-2-million-cars-bank-of-america-says/articleshow/81573515.cms
> 
> * Ireland 
> https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2018/01/16/bitcoin-mining-uses-as-much-power-as-ireland-and-why-thats-not-a-problem/
> 
> * Netherlands 
> https://portal.craigsip.com/home/insights/overview/is-cryptocurrency-going-mainstream
> 
> * New Zealand https://chainometry.com/blog/bitcoin-and-the-blockchain
> 
> I put a section on this in my Sustainable computing course: 
> https://www.tomw.net.au/ict_sustainability/process.shtml#bitcoin
> 
> I tried asking Copilot:
> 
> "What country does Microsoft Copilot use as much power and water as?"
> 
> It replied:
> 
> "Microsoft Copilot, like all datacenters, consumes energy and water. 
> Let's delve into the specifics:
> 
> 1. **Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE)**: This metric gauges how 
> efficiently a datacenter utilizes energy. The closer the PUE number is 
> to "1," the more efficient the energy use. Microsoft tracks PUE globally 
> and across operating geographies. While newer datacenters and those 
> operating at peak utilization tend to be more efficient, the goal is to 
> get as close to "1" as feasible¹.
> 
> 2. **Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE)**: WUE measures the efficiency of 
> water consumption for humidification and cooling in datacenters. It's 
> calculated by dividing the liters of water used by the total annual 
> power needed to operate datacenter IT equipment (measured in kWh)¹.
> 
> Now, let's address your question. Microsoft's water consumption for its 
> cloud data centers increased by **34%** in 2022, totaling **6.4 million 
> cubic meters** of water. Generative AI workloads are partly responsible 
> for this surge³. However, it's essential to note that this data pertains 
> to Microsoft's overall operations, not specifically to Microsoft Copilot.
> 
> In summary, Microsoft's datacenters, including those supporting Copilot, 
> have a significant environmental impact. However, pinpointing a specific 
> country for comparison would require more detailed data. 🌐💧🔌
> 
> Source: Conversation with Bing, 22/02/2024
> (1) How Microsoft measures datacenter water and energy use to improve 
> Azure .... 
> https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/how-microsoft-measures-datacenter-water-and-energy-use-to-improve-azure-cloud-sustainability/.
> (2) Microsoft's water consumption jumps 34 percent amid AI boom. 
> https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsofts-water-consumption-jumps-34-percent-amid-ai-boom/.
> (3) Microsoft 365 admin center Microsoft 365 Copilot usage - Microsoft 
> 365 .... 
> https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/activity-reports/microsoft-365-copilot-usage?view=o365-worldwide.
> (4) Measuring usage, adoption, and the impact of Microsoft Copilot. 
> https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/copilot-for-microsoft-365/measuring-usage-adoption-and-the-impact-of-microsoft-copilot/ev-p/4051091."
> 
> 
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-- 
Roger Clarke                            mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
T: +61 2 6288 6916   http://www.xamax.com.au  http://www.rogerclarke.com

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Visiting Professorial Fellow                          UNSW Law & Justice
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University