Climate Tech: The AI Boom Rests on Billions of Tonnnes of Concrete: Why Tech's Climate Pledges Require the Reinvention of Concrete

IF 2.6 4区工程技术 Q2 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

IEEE Spectrum Pub Date : 2024-11-11 DOI:10.1109/MSPEC.2024.10748563

Ted C. Fishman

引用次数: 0

Abstract

A ALONG THE COUNTRY ROAD that leads to ATL4, a giant data center going up east of Atlanta, dozens of parked cars and pickups lean tenuously on the narrow dirt shoulders. The many out-of-state plates are typical of the phalanx of tradespeople who muster for these massive construction jobs. With tech giants, utilities, and governments budgeting upwards of US $1 trillion for capital expansion to join the global battle for AI dominance, data centers are the bunkers, factories, and skunkworks-and concrete and electricity are the fuel and ammunition. ¶ To the casual observer, the data industry can seem incorporeal, its products conjured out of weightless bits. But as I stand beside the busy construction site for DataBank's ATL4, what impresses me most is the gargantuan amount of material-mostly concrete-that gives shape to the goliath that will house, secure, power, and cool the hardware of AI. Big data is big concrete. And that poses a big problem.

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气候技术：人工智能的蓬勃发展依赖于数十亿吨混凝土：为什么科技界的气候承诺需要对混凝土进行重塑？

在通往亚特兰大东部正在兴建的巨型数据中心 ATL4 的乡村公路上，数十辆停放的汽车和皮卡车在狭窄的土路肩上摇摇欲坠。许多外州车牌的汽车都是为这些大型建筑工程而召集的工匠队伍的典型代表。随着科技巨头、公用事业公司和政府为加入全球人工智能主导权争夺战而编列的资本扩张预算高达 1 万亿美元，数据中心就成了掩体、工厂和地下工厂，而混凝土和电力就是燃料和弹药。对于普通观察者来说，数据产业似乎没有实体，其产品是由没有重量的比特变出来的。但是，当我站在繁忙的 DataBank ATL4 建筑工地旁时，给我留下最深刻印象的是大量的材料（主要是混凝土），这些材料塑造了这个巨人，它将容纳、保护、供电和冷却人工智能硬件。大数据就是大混凝土。这就带来了一个大问题。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

IEEE Spectrum 工程技术-工程：电子与电气

CiteScore

2.50

自引率

0.00%

发文量

254

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： IEEE Spectrum Magazine, the flagship publication of the IEEE, explores the development, applications and implications of new technologies. It anticipates trends in engineering, science, and technology, and provides a forum for understanding, discussion and leadership in these areas. IEEE Spectrum is the world''s leading engineering and scientific magazine. Read by over 300,000 engineers worldwide, Spectrum provides international coverage of all technical issues and advances in computers, communications, and electronics. Written in clear, concise language for the non-specialist, Spectrum''s high editorial standards and worldwide resources ensure technical accuracy and state-of-the-art relevance.