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The dead end of chips: Manufacturing semiconductors consumes as much energy as entire countries
(english.elpais.com)
this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2024
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Technology
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In contrast to stuff like AI training or crypto, chips at least fulfill an actually useful function, so I don't see the issue with their manufacturing consuming a lot of energy. Or should we compare the same for cars or medicine?
Right? I was just thinking that entire countries run on chips so it sort of sounds about right at least.
AI Training, compared to crypto, has at least been used in medicine to:
Create novel proteins based on specific requirements (useful for developing medicine): https://www.cell.com/chem/fulltext/S2451-9294(23)00139-0?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2451929423001390%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
Detect possible cancer: https://hms.harvard.edu/news/new-artificial-intelligence-tool-cancer#:~:text=CHIEF%20achieved%20nearly%2094%20percent,datasets%20containing%2011%20cancer%20types.
And there's many more uses you can easily find if you look into it. Don't just assume every LLM slop is all what AI is. Even LLMs probably have their use in stuff actually relating to language, such as translation.
What exactly do you think these chips are used for?
Because it's often enough AI, crypto and bullshit IoT.
The vast, vast majority of chips produced are "old generation" chips used for relatively mundane purposes. The high-tech stuff you see in the news is a minority (though it's pricey enough that it doesn't look that way in company earnings reports).
Think power supplies, middle-of-the-road CPUs, ASICs for common I/O like USB and ethernet, timing devices, and wireless communication modules.
And that's mostly the "bullshit IoT" category. It's not like the demand for phones and laptops exploded in the last years, it's IoT, AI and other useless crap - regardless of the process node.
Even a non-IoT electronic device still runs on many different chips.
Exactly, such as:
Basically, if it does something useful, there's probably a ton of chips involved.
Cars, manufacturing, microwaves, washer\dryer, dishwasher, cellphones/tablets, anything wireless. There are more non crypto/AI products than not.
Phones, laptops, PC components, data centers, cars, planes, trains, satelites, medical laborarory equipments, factory controllers, and many more!
There are people who want AI, crypto, and IoT things. If there weren't then there'd be no money to be made in selling it.
Once the fad dies down there won't be.