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How The Massive Power Draw Of Generative AI Is Overtaxing Our Grid

There’s more than 8,000 data centers globally, but it’s not nearly enough to keep up with the power needs of generative AI. One ChatGPT query takes about 10 times as much energy as a typical Google search. Training one large language model can produce as much CO2 as the entire lifetime of five gas-powered cars and use as much water as a small country. Even if we generate enough power, our aging grid is increasingly unable to handle transmitting it to where it’s needed. That’s why data center companies like Vantage are building closer to where power is generated, while the industry invests in alternate energy source and creative ways to harden the grid.

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How AI defeats humans on the battlefield | BBC News

An array of tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are under development or already in use in the defence sector.

For instance, BAE Systems, a global defence contracting company, has unveiled the industry’s first AI-powered learning system that aims to instruct military trainees to be “mission-ready” faster.

Blending human and machine intelligence, AI weaponisation in warfare, such as autonomous weapons, can improve military capabilities via rapid data processing and more accurate targeting.

However, researchers and critics caution against this appetite for the acceleration of AI in the defence industry, noting that several of these development companies operate without checks on transparency and accountability.

AI presenter Priya Lakhani joins this week’s AI Decoded to discuss the military use of AI-enabled weapons.

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Why BlackRock is Building a New Stock Market… In Texas

Last week Blackrock (the world’s largest asset manager), and Citadel Securities (the world’s largest hedge fund) teamed up to make a major announcement that could reshape global financial markets. They were going to team up to create a new wall street… in Texas. These two companies have the financial muscle to make a “Texas Stock Exchange” viable, but the question is… why? The startup exchange that will be located in Dallas is already taking shots to challenge the dominance of the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ which are both located in New York City and are by far the largest exchanges in America, and also the largest exchanges in the world. Both of these incumbents are private businesses that make money by providing a place where public stocks and other financial instruments can be traded securely. They make their money by charging companies that want to list on their exchange a one time IPO fee and an ongoing annual fee. The New York Stock Exchange is really not much different to a farmers market where businesses will pay the market organizer for the right to sell their stuff in a place with lots of customers. The only difference is that instead of beets, and artisanal honey, they are selling shares in their company. If the New York Stock Exchange is like a farmers market then the NASDAQ is like ebay, it’s still a marketplace but it’s all done online. The NYSE is owned by a company called Intercontinental Exchange whos shares you can buy on the New York Stock Exchange so apart from a lot of regulatory paperwork there is nothing too special about these companies. As long as a business gets approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission there is nothing to stop them from establishing their own stock exchange wherever they want. The reason they both happen to be located in New York City has more to do with legacy than any pragmatic benefits of operating in a state that is actually not particularly business friendly. The New York Stock Exchange was formed when New York was still a trading center and the NASDAQ set up there in 1971 because at the time the city was the undisputed business capital of America and back then physical proximity was much more important than it is today even though it has always been an electronic exchange. So why is this new challenger bucking the trend and setting up in Texas? Well… why not Texas? So it’s time to learn How Money Works to find out why some of the most powerful financial institutions in the world want to build a new Wall Street in Texas

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AI’s trillion dollar time bomb

There’s a time bomb ticking in the AI space: spending is too high, and returns are too low. Megacaps like Meta, Google and Amazon have seen capex spending surge as they throw cash at building out the infrastructure to stay ahead of the AI game. Microsoft in particular has spent billions at a premium valuation, and shelled out $13 billion investing in OpenAI while Apple was reportedly able to secure a partnership with the startup darling for free just 18 months later. That could be a warning for the broader AI space, as experts sound the alarm on the widening gap between what companies are spending on AI, and what they’re getting back from it.

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