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Executive order on advancing United States leadership in AI infrastructure

whitehouse.gov

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Re: Executive order on advancing United States leadership in AI infrastructure

#21

Post by davis »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #8
EmilStenstrom wrote: post #5

Summary of the concrete actions: 1. Early 2025: Identify Federal sites for AI data centers, clean energy facilities, and geothermal zones. Streamline permitting processes and draft reporting requirements for AI infrastructure. Develop a plan for global collaboration on trusted AI infrastructure. 2. By Mid-2025: Issue solicitations for AI infrastructure projects on Federal sites. Select winning proposals and announce…

With the incoming admin I can't imagine anything other than huge nat gas plants being built to power these data centers...

It doesn't matter what the incoming admin thinks, it just matters what makes the most economic sense. If interconnection queues are backed up and the grid is lacking the electricity required, offgrid might be the way to go: https://www.offgridai.us/

People assume gas plants are the fastest and easiest to build and power but you have to get the natural gas to the plant. Nat gas pipelines take years to build and also there are gas turbine supply issues. Offgrid solar + battery solves all of these.

Re: Executive order on advancing United States leadership in AI infrastructure

#22

Post by api_or_ipa »

It's interesting to see the federal government taking a strong industrial policy approach to AI through this executive order as well as physical computing via the CHIPS act.

Couple concerns:

- I loath to believe in silver bullets. The executive branch seems to believe that investing in AI (note: the order, despite the extensive definitions, leaves Artificial Intelligence undefined) is the solution to US global leadership, clean energy, national defense and better jobs. Rarely if ever is one policy a panacea for so many objectives.

- I am skeptical of government "picking the winners". Markets do best when competitive forces reward innovation. By enforcing an industrial policy on a nascent industry, the executive may just as well be stifling innovation from unlikely firms.

- I am always worried about inducing a _subsidy race_ whereby countries race to subsidize firms to gain a competitive advantage. Other countries do the same, leading to a glut of stimulus with little advantage to any country.

- Finally, government bureaucracy moves slowly (some say that's the point). What happens if a breakthrough innovation in AI radically changes our needs for the type, size or other characteristic of these data centers? Worse still, what happens if we hit another AI winter? Are we left with an enormous pork barrel project? It's hard to envision the federal government industrial policy perfectly capturing future market needs, especially in such a fast moving industry as tech.

Re: Executive order on advancing United States leadership in AI infrastructure

#23

Post by hammock »

rayiner wrote: post #10
EmilStenstrom wrote: post #5

Summary of the concrete actions: 1. Early 2025: Identify Federal sites for AI data centers, clean energy facilities, and geothermal zones. Streamline permitting processes and draft reporting requirements for AI infrastructure. Develop a plan for global collaboration on trusted AI infrastructure. 2. By Mid-2025: Issue solicitations for AI infrastructure projects on Federal sites. Select winning proposals and announce…

That schedule is impossible. Given the amount of power data centers take, and the fact that the government is new to building them, the environmental review process and lawsuits will take years.

The EO proposes to use federal land, so that ought to facilitate shortcutting some of the process.

Re: Executive order on advancing United States leadership in AI infrastructure

#24

Post by hammock »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #8
EmilStenstrom wrote: post #5

Summary of the concrete actions: 1. Early 2025: Identify Federal sites for AI data centers, clean energy facilities, and geothermal zones. Streamline permitting processes and draft reporting requirements for AI infrastructure. Develop a plan for global collaboration on trusted AI infrastructure. 2. By Mid-2025: Issue solicitations for AI infrastructure projects on Federal sites. Select winning proposals and announce…

With the incoming admin I can't imagine anything other than huge nat gas plants being built to power these data centers...

The EO talks a lot about prioritizing clean power.

Re: Executive order on advancing United States leadership in AI infrastructure

#29

Post by foolfoolz »

hk1337 wrote: post #20
Pidaymou wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US bureaucracy is largely indifferent to changes in administration, though it undoubtedly wields significant influence. The key point is that major policy decisions are made by established bureaucrats in the military, State Department, and other parts of the essential institutional actors. As a result, any country, like China, perceived as a threat to US hegemony will be vigorously fought against.

Maybe but there's such a small amount of time between now and the new admin, it couldn't be that difficult to kill the bureaucracy behind it? If had been going to 3-4 years already, sure I can see that.

when new presidents come in the rest of the government employees don’t change as well. some of these at higher levels are career employees who will serve through many presidents. timing your asks to just get approved by an outgoing president can make your future bright

Re: Executive order on advancing United States leadership in AI infrastructure

#30

Post by m4rtink »

EmilStenstrom wrote: post #5

Summary of the concrete actions: 1. Early 2025: Identify Federal sites for AI data centers, clean energy facilities, and geothermal zones. Streamline permitting processes and draft reporting requirements for AI infrastructure. Develop a plan for global collaboration on trusted AI infrastructure. 2. By Mid-2025: Issue solicitations for AI infrastructure projects on Federal sites. Select winning proposals and announce…

Provided all this centralized governement owned and run infra somehow gets built, what it would be actually doing to warrant the expense ?

I am quite skeptical in this regard. :P

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