The Small English Town Swept Up in the Global AI Arms Race (wired.com)
- Reference: 0180815386
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/02/17/1937251/the-small-english-town-swept-up-in-the-global-ai-arms-race
- Source link: https://www.wired.com/story/the-small-english-town-swept-up-in-the-global-ai-arms-race/
The UK government's decision to classify data centers as "critical national infrastructure" and a new "gray belt" land designation that loosens building restrictions on underperforming greenbelt parcels helped clear the path for approval -- even though objections from locals outweighed signatures of support by nearly two-to-one during the public consultation. A protest group of more than 1,000 residents has since appealed to a third-party ombudsman and the UK's Office of Environmental Protection, but has so far failed to overturn the decision.
[1] https://www.wired.com/story/the-small-english-town-swept-up-in-the-global-ai-arms-race/
Well then, (Score:3)
> The UK government's decision to classify data centers as "critical national infrastructure" and a new "gray belt" land designation that loosens building restrictions on underperforming greenbelt parcels helped clear the path for approval -- even though objections from locals outweighed signatures of support by nearly two-to-one during the public consultation.
There's yet one more thing that our (USA) government will be stealing soon. Because there has been a lot of public protest about datacenter buildouts being pushed. I'm assuming in America they'll also attach some national security concern to it so that any form of protest is seen as treason.
I'm just vaguely curious how governments around the world continue to push the narrative that they are servants of the people. It seems to be they're servants of the money. People and their needs / desires don't even seem to register unless they have the ability to write really big checks. Even setting aside whether these AI datacenters are actually going to be useful by the time they're completed, if a large enough percentage of people in a given area are against them, shouldn't it at least be a consideration? Or have we reached such a peak of stupidity when it comes to AI that society just needs to steamroll people and call them luddites if they dare say anything negative about building out giant datacenters to suck up land, water, electricity and whatever other resources they may need in the area?
Re: (Score:2)
how governments around the world continue to push the narrative that they are servants of the people
When they bother to push this false narrative at all, they usually go with utilitarianism. They maintain that a lot of people benefit a lot from the presence of the data centers, and that outweighs the few people who suffer a little from increased utility costs.
They could also go with "rich people are people too, and they are obviously more important than poor people, so serving the interests of rich people
Re: (Score:2)
You have 15 Moderator Points! Use 'em or lose 'em!
Can't use em. Doesn't fucking work!
Building data centers where they are unwanted (Score:1)
seems like a really bad idea. A few upset locals, some drones, some booze, and nothing but time to kill could probably produce some very creative ways to make life miserable for the people that own it.
Re: (Score:2)
That's why they classify them as "critical national infrastructure," so they can surround them with their own drones, shock/lethal fences, armed guards, dogs with bees in their mouths that when they bark they shoot bees at you, etc. Can't just have Cletus out there taking potshots at the rooftop chillers, or whatever the British equivalent of Cletus uses without guns everywhere.
Complain about endangered species. (Score:1)
That's how everyone else combats project plans.
Sounds familiar.... (Score:2)
> The UK government's decision to classify data centers as " critical national infrastructure" and a new "gray belt" land designation
Sounds a lot like Trump's EOs.
Hard drives won't like this location (Score:4, Funny)
"... being built on 85 acres of rolling farmland..."
Land that's rolling around will probably create too much vibration for data center components.