AI is good, but the impact of data centers on the environment cannot be ignored. Over a longer time scale, AI is just one wave, while the environment will take much longer to recover.
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Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country
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Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country
#62AI compute is a major emerging export industry that the U.S. could become the global leader in. Strong First Amendment protections, due process, and limits on arbitrary government control also make the U.S. uniquely well-suited for AI, unlike, let's say, manufacturing, where authoritarian states seem to have an advantage.
> First Amendment protections, due process, and limits on arbitrary government control In what fairytale land does this describe the US today?
Describes the US since founding. It’s the Constitution.
Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are privately-held datacenters counted? Like, prssumably chipmakers have a few of their own in their home regions..?
“Privately-held”? I don’t think governments are building them.
The US government has a lot.
Just one random Google result:
Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country
#64It's poetically beautiful that the tool was very very clearly built mostly if not entirely using AI
A lot of the copy also looks like AI.
The text (especially the "About" section, key concerns, and Erin’s quote) reads like strong AI-generated or heavily AI-edited copy. It has that clean, structured, persuasive style common in tools like Claude, ChatGPT, or Grok. Many observers on Reddit and elsewhere noted it “looks 100% designed by Claude.”
Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country
#65The Erin Brockovich page itself repeats the canard, on the front page, that these sites endanger ecosystems with their water consumption.
Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country
#66It's poetically beautiful that the tool was very very clearly built mostly if not entirely using AI
It might be, I'm not sure.
The code is interesting though, it's not minified, it's very readable, and nicely indented with lots of comments.
The curated data center list is just some inline JSON.
The javascript uses var instead of let or const, I'm not sure if this is just style choice, or there is some code post processing.
It doesn't use react, AI seems to almost always opt for react for front end design, unless told otherwise.
Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country
#67is there one to store bunker locations?
Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country
#68I love this. Yeah there's some FUD out there about water usage and whatnot, but using the internet to spread actual awareness about local concerns is a fine demonstration of free speech at work. If slop is more expensive to produce, maybe there will be less of it clogging up the digital commons.
Unfortunately Sturgeon's Law predates AI.
Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country
#69What makes a data center an 'AI data center' vs other kinds? I am sure that certain workloads are better suited for a particular server rack vs another; but can't a data center built for other computing needs also do AI and vice-versa?
Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country
#70What makes a data center an 'AI data center' vs other kinds? I am sure that certain workloads are better suited for a particular server rack vs another; but can't a data center built for other computing needs also do AI and vice-versa?
Different I/O, power and cooling requirements for majority GPU workloads?