In this episode, hosts Harlan Parrott, VP of AI Innovation, and Matt Duren, SVP of Engineering for AI and Data, pull back the curtain on one of their friendly debates: what AI data centers mean for energy, water and the communities around them.
Welcome to Attempted Intelligence, KnowBe4’s show for people who are already using AI at work and want to make the most of it. In this episode, hosts Harlan Parrott, VP of AI Innovation, and Matt Duren, SVP of Engineering for AI and Data, pull back the curtain on one of their friendly debates: what AI data centers mean for energy, water and the communities around them. A coin flip assigns the sides, and neither position reflects their personal views.
How much power do data centers really use? Does the viral claim about ChatGPT and water hold up? Harlan and Matt work through the facts and find that what’s true globally doesn’t always hold locally.
They also cover: Why a data center can pass its noise limits and still be hard to live next to, how one Virginia county turned its data center boom into lower property taxes, and where to take your concerns if one is planned near you.
Quotes
“Not everything needs to be AI. If you have a simple question, like ‘What time is it?’ or ‘What are some restaurants near me?’, there are algorithmic services that have been built for that.” - Matt
“It's almost like if you're trying to lose weight and you sit down and you've got on your plate a big old steak, and then you got some vegetables, and then you say, ‘Well, I'm just gonna cut the amount of vegetables in half so that I can lose some weight.’” - Harlan
“If you're out advocating for curtailing data center builds, but you get mad whenever you're only allowed to water your grass twice a week, I don't want to hear much from you.” - Harlan
“Even compared to household water usage, it's low. However, you can't replenish a watershed with a national average.” - Matt
Time Stamps
[01:23] Welcome to Attempted Intelligence: A Friendly Debate
[02:17] Ground Rules: Assigned Sides, Not Personal Views
[03:14] The Coin Flip: Matt Argues Against, Harlan Argues For
[03:49] Global vs. Local: The Lens for Every Round
[05:24] Electricity: How Much of the World's Power Goes to Data Centers?
[07:17] Growth Rates and Ireland's 23%
[08:27] Not Everything Needs to Be AI
[10:40] When Local Power Rates Go Up
[11:14] Rising Projections and Why Cheaper Inference Means More Inference
[13:23] The Economic Upside and Bringing New Power Supply
[16:54] The Slippery Slope and Labor Union Support
[18:43] How to Get Involved: Local, State and National
[22:37] Water: Why Do Data Centers Need It?
[23:50] Cooling, Closed Loops and Drinking Water
[27:05] Data Centers vs. Golf Courses and Almonds
[28:33] The Indirect Water Cost of Electricity
[30:07] You Can't Replenish a Watershed with a National Average
[31:54] KnowBe4's Sustainability Goals
[32:51] Noise: Compliant vs. Livable
[35:35] Loudoun County's Property Tax Story
[36:47] Noise Complaints in Sterling and the Problem with Percentages
[39:06] Weigh Both Sides Before You Advocate
Links
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