AFL’s Post

🌐 "Hyperscale references massive #datacenters equipped with high-powered computing and storage resources. The technology drives impactful change at the frontier of cultural ecology." Read the latest #blog from our Hyperscale team to learn about the 10 ways #hyperscale influences our culture. 👉 https://bit.ly/3VDY2qV #WeAreAFL

Prompted by the great lecture from Carlos Escapa and his mentions of the environmental impact of "Artificial Intelligence"/machine learning in the course on 𝘭𝘢𝘸, 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 I started doing at IE University, I finally read the article from the anthoplogist Steven Gonzalez Monserrate on his fieldwork in server farms and the environmental impacts of data storage. "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐀 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 50,000 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬." "The ecological dynamics we find ourselves in are not entirely a consequence of design limits, but of human practices and choices — among individuals, communities, corporations, and governments — combined with a deficit of will and imagination to bring about a sustainable Cloud. The Cloud is both cultural and technological. Like any aspect of culture, the Cloud’s trajectory — and its ecological impacts — are not predetermined or unchangeable. Like any aspect of culture, they are mutable." https://lnkd.in/dXZf8Xuq #environment #artificialintelligence #machinelearning #humanrights

“While data centers have faced scrutiny over their electricity use, little is known about their water consumption—including by tech companies themselves. A survey conducted last year by the Uptime Institute, a consulting firm, found that only 39% of data centers even tracked their water use, a 12 percentage-point drop from 2021. Tech companies in the past have refused to disclose information about individual centers’ energy and water consumption, claiming that such data was a trade secret. Over the last couple of years, Google, Meta and Microsoft have started publishing their total water use across their operations, but they don’t break the number down by business unit nor use standardized metrics. Bluefield Research has estimated data centers use more than a billion liters of water per day, including water used in energy generation. (…) Companies say data centers are getting more energy-efficient, but the increase in overall demand for computing power is outpacing such gains. The race to build large language models used in generative AI has created a surge in demand for more powerful processors. The specialized chips required for AI—broadly known as accelerators—emit so much more heat than general-purpose chips do that data center operators are having to rethink their cooling systems entirely, says Colm Shorten, a data center sustainability expert at real estate investment firm JLL (JLL). Shaolei Ren, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at University of California, Riverside, has conducted research estimating that training GPT-3 in Microsoft’s US data centers directly consumed 700,000 liters of water in about a month—not including the indirect water use associated with electricity generation. The team has also calculated that every short conversation of 20 to 50 questions and answers with ChatGPT represents about 500 milliliters of water.”

We've been working with Avanade UK & Ireland to figure out how we can use data and AI to do our part for the UK's biodiversity. Using Microsoft's digital twin technology, coupled with cutting-edge AI, Avanade has created an interactive virtual replica of our river catchment, allowing us to understand the elements that impact the health of our rivers better and work towards improving them.   At Anglian Water, we are focused on doing our part to help solve the current biodiversity crisis our country is facing. By bringing together previously scattered environmental data from a variety of sources, Avanade UK & Ireland have built a solution that will allow us to monitor and test river health in a scalable and future-proofed environment, allowing us to work from one version of truth for the foreseeable future. We can't wait to see the long-term impact this will allow us to have in taking care of our rivers.  https://lnkd.in/ewGb9ecG #AvanadeDoWhatMatters #GetRiverPositive #MSAzureUK #MSSustainabilityUK #MSInnovationUK

Computing power vs. local communities: Tech companies are facing increasing opposition to their water-intensive #ai data centers around the world due to #extremeheat and #droughts. #sdgs #climateaction #artificialintelligence #waterscarcity https://lnkd.in/dHs-SH4U

🛰 Earth observation (EO) data can be used in many areas of agriculture, urban planning and disaster management. Artificial intelligence can further enhance this data, making it a valuable resource for scientists, businesses and policy makers. Radiant Earth provides such data sets, but they are rarely used. Together with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH's initiative, #FairForward, and Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)'s #digilab, an #ii2030 process was initiated to provide open access to EO data for all. 🌍 👉 Read more here about why free access may not always be the best solution and which new business model emerged for Radiant Earth in the process: https://lnkd.in/eApTHG4t

And we're back after a quick Summar Hiatus, with the #CriticalInfrastructure Top 5 for September 2023 #FallEdition 🍂 1. #AI, #AI, #AI: Everyone is interested in AI right now – and for good reason. We’ve hit a watershed and we’re starting to see early adopters achieving some really impressive results. Underlying those results is a commitment to and investment in infrastructure that makes managing the data easier. 2. #Governments Want Proof solutions are going to work. The best way to show it is by showing you’ve done it before. That means we need to provide solutions that customers partners are comfortable with and that are reputable. 3.#Partners:  Projects are big, complicated, and customers are located all over the globe. That means a strong partner ecosystem is central to fulfilling customer needs across the globe. 4.#ClimateChange: The impacts of climate change are in the news more and more often. It’s top of mind and increasingly a question of resilience alongside sustainability. Improving operations for infrastructure operators is a key part of climate resilience. #UNGA 5. #IndustryMatters: Our collective perspective on the “industry” matters. As someone from government, I remember all too vividly how it was to have someone who didn’t understand how we worked give me a presentation or pitch. To succeed in the transformation the private sector must bring a strong understanding of the public sector to the table. Diana Parker Kirk Arthur Madhavi G. Valentina Ion Chad Wallace David Williams Eve Machol Marcus Loh Lena Lundgreen Greg Wilson Michael Dunn Tim Newton James Collins Supawit (Bright) Ket-udom Jose Antonio Ondiviela Ph.D. Ngozi N. Ariana Caplan Gerald Wang Ruthbea Yesner Kristin Strobel Doug Priest, PhD #CriticalInfrastructure #Cities #AECs #Sustainability #msftadvocate #data

🚀🌵💧 Arizona's water resources are feeling the heat as AI and data center operations expand! Microsoft, a key player in this tech wave and a partner to OpenAI, is under the spotlight for its data centers' thirst, with one facility expected to gulp down 56 million gallons of water yearly - that's a lot for a desert state facing its hottest summer and severe droughts! 😲💻🌞 But, there's a silver lining! 🌥️👩💼🔍 Arizona is tapping into AI for smarter water management. From Phoenix's AI-enhanced wastewater treatment to algorithms optimizing water use in buildings, technology is playing a dual role in both challenging and championing water conservation efforts. 🚿🤖💡 Moreover, cities like Phoenix are not just sitting back; they're actively working towards a sustainable 100-year water supply, with 97% of wastewater getting a second life in various uses. And with tech giants like Microsoft pledging to go carbon-negative and water-positive, the future looks promising. 🌱🔄💦 In essence, while AI's growth poses challenges, it's also part of the solution, showcasing the complex dance between technological advancements and environmental stewardship in Arizona. 🤹♂️🌍📈 #AI #WaterConservation #Sustainability #Arizona #TechForGood https://lnkd.in/gjVK4FUi

✨ Very good callout from Timnit Gebru on the need to look at the environmental impact of super data centers powering supercomputer technologies such as genAI. A responsible AI approach must intersect with DEI and Sustainability. #ai #responsibleai #intersection #dei #sustainability