Utah's new data center could create catastrophic conditions for wildlife, environment

[New Breed Leader]

Link to tweet

Skeptics of the proposed hyperscale data center in Box Elder County are sweating about a lot more than its energy demands and potential toll on water supplies.

Turn out, it could create a massive heat island capable of devastating the area’s ecology, said Robert Davies, a physics professor at Utah State University.

The project will actually produce more than 9 gigawatts of energy, Davies explained, because anytime a gadget consumes power, it also produces energy in the form of heat, whether it’s a toaster, a car or a sprawling rack of computer servers.

All the heat the Stratos Project emits will add up to another 7 to 8 gigawatts of energy in the form of waste heat.

Typically, waste heat is generated far from the power plant itself, in homes, businesses or on roads where it dissipates.

[tanyev]

1. But think of all the amazing AI slop we'll get out of it!

[orthoclad]

4. Yep, all this destruction and surveillance

just so that those of us with no artistic talent can tell a droid to do the work for us. Such witty cartoons!
We should stick to making up variations on "orange shitgibbon" for our entertainment. Just as useless and much less destructive.

[pattyloutwo]

2. Don't click the AI search result

This is going to be devastating. We need to reign in AI

[orthoclad]

5. NEVER USE AI!

[Cheezoholic]

3. But we must do this or China will win the AI race.... whatever n/t

[hunter]

6. Say hello to Big Brother.

He's watching you, and his hunger for new data centers is insatiable.

[jeffreyi]

7. sickening.

no.