Yes. We obviously aren’t responsible enough to handle these devices as it is now. We are eroding our planet of its life by causing drastic changes to our climate, caused by burning up massive amounts of fossil fuels to power our “AI”. This is gross and detestable, and we should reverse course immediately until we can find better alternatives to handle semiconductor manufacturing processes.
Comment on China's rare earth export restrictions threaten global chipmaking supply chains
partial_accumen@lemmy.world 3 days agoAre you willing to give up all the products that need these? And all the services you consume that use these?
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world 3 days ago
partial_accumen@lemmy.world 3 days ago
What you’re suggesting is “pennywise and pound foolish” if your goal is CO2 reduction. Semiconductors and Rare Earth metals are required for our best weapons against CO2 emissions, those being wind turbines and PV solar panels.
We are eroding our planet of its life by causing drastic changes to our climate, caused by burning up massive amounts of fossil fuels to power our “AI”.
Energy demands are far FAR larger than the minuscule (by comparison to other energy users) AI data center waste.
Not stopping now will only add more Co2 emissions to our planet’s atmosphere, which will increase global temperatures.
Fossil fuel lovers will back you 100% on reduction of semiconductors as it means a lock-in for electricity generation to mostly fossil fuels.
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I am not going to lie, i just don’t have the energy to put together all the research that has been done on the energy consumption of AI neural networks for you. They are consuming more energy entire States in the USA use. Then theres cryptocurrency. Then there is the fact that we have global storefronts, distributers, resellers, supermarkets, and food production that is designed around creating hyper capitalist worlds of consumerism that only exists because it is so god damn easy to add to cart and have one of everything.
You will never need one of everything. We don’t need to produce just to produce. We aren’t sharing. We are hoarding. We are stashing. Products are assembled and put on store shelves at such an unsustainable rate that there isn’t enough time or energy to figure out how to properly reuse or recycle them or their byproducts. The lowest quality, most pollutive products pile up. They pile up in landfills, along roads, and in oceans. Hell, there are microplastics in the most remote regions planet earth. Its filthy and disgusting. You cant even find clean water in the wild anymore.
All because we have a way to tap 3 buttons and get delivered something new to consume.
Hyper fucking capitalism only becomes more hyper thanks to rare earth metals (which also are just tossed in the trash once their use is up).
partial_accumen@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I am not going to lie, i just don’t have the energy to put together all the research that has been done on the energy consumption of AI neural networks for you.
I did all that before i answered you because I wanted to make sure my thinking was accurate.
Total electricity (not energy, because energy is oil, gas, coal, etc, tool, just talking electricity here) used by all data centers in the USA for all computing is about 5% of the total USA electricity consumption. source.
They are consuming more energy than entire States in the USA use.
True, but I’m not sure what relevance that has. Lots and LOTS of industries use way WAY more electricity:
“The industrial sector accounts for 33% of all the electricity used in the world (the largest sector for energy consumption is residential housing, followed by commercial businesses). According to the U.S Energy Information Administration, in the United States, 77% of all industrial electricity goes to manufacturing, 12% to mining, 7% to construction, and 5% to agriculture. From the list of high energy consumption industries in manufacturing, chemicals account for 37%, followed by petroleum and coal products at 22%, paper and paper products at 11%, primary metals 8% and the remainder is made up of food, non-metallic metals and all other categories.”
Then theres cryptocurrency.
I’ll agree its a waste, but of the 4.4% used by ALL datacenters 1.5% of that is crypto.
AI, by itself, last year was about 1% of the 4.4%.
If you’re rationally focused on CO2 reduction, all of compute is a drop in the bucket compared to a number of heavy industries. Again, my numbers here was only about electricity, which does have CO2 concerns, but lots of those other industries use way more electricity in addition to other CO2 producing energy sources (like natural gas/coal/oil, etc).
So if your true goal and concern is CO2 reduction, your priorities should be going after the much bigger fish.
Viri4thus@feddit.org 3 days ago
Yes.
partial_accumen@lemmy.world 3 days ago
So no modern electronics or computers then? So back to maybe basic transistors at best? You’re cool with that?
Viri4thus@feddit.org 3 days ago
TIL a steady transfer of rare earth metals from China is necessary for all of the computers of today to continue working. Is it like a subscription. Rare earth pass, subscribe now.
Otherwise, ya, hermit life FTW
partial_accumen@lemmy.world 3 days ago
It won’t be hermitage for us, it will likely be death from starvation and disease. Global supply chains, including those for food production and distribution required modern technology. If you’re going back to pre-computer world you have to roll the clock back for how much of a population the world was able to support. The first transistor was made in 1947, which is arguably the beginning of modern electronics (a few vacuum tube computers existed before this time).
World population a few years later in 1951 was 2,536,927,035. The world population today is 8,231,613,070. So your suggested change will kill off about 5,694,686,035. Even Marvel’s Thanos was only trying to kill off half of the population, and here you are suggesting Thanos wasn’t going far enough where you want about 70% of everyone dead.
To think either one of use would survive is hubris.