So this may be a more efficient use of computing power. Brute force calculation of combinations is costly because there are so many possibilities. A learning model can be fed data from brute force calculations and from humans tasked with packing efficiently to develop an empirical model (this is the AI part) of how to package assorted items. That model could take much less computing power than the Brite force m method.
Comment on Amazon builds AI model to optimize packaging
ahal@lemmy.ca 9 months agoI think you’re overstating the compute power and understating the amount of cardboard Amazon uses
Pulptastic@midwest.social 9 months ago
7heo@lemmy.ml 9 months ago
I don’t actually think so. A100 in server chassis have a 400 or 500W TDP depending on the configuration, and even if I’m assuming 400, with 4 per watercooled 1U chassis, a 47U chassis with those would consume about 100kW with power supply efficiency and whatnot.
Running those for a day only would be 2.4GWh.
Now, I’m not assuming Amazon would own 100s of those chassis at every DC, but they probably would use at least a couple of such chassis to train their model (time is money, right?) And training them for a week with just two of those would be 35GWh, and I can only extrapolate from there.
But I don’t think that going to TWh is such an overstatement.
That, very possibly.
I have seldom used Amazon ever, maybe 5 times tops, and I can only remember two times. Those two times, I ordered a smartphone and a bunch of electronics supplies, and I don’t remember the packaging being excessive. But I know from plenty of that they regularly overdo it. That, coupled with the insane amount of shit people order online… And yes, I believe you are right on that one.
Even so, as long as it is cardboard, or paper, and not plastic and glue, it isn’t a big ecological issue. It makes no difference to Amazon financially, cost is cost, and they only care about that, but let’s not pretend they are doing a good thing then. It is a cost effective measure for them, that ends up worsening the situation for everyone else.