The New Computing Revolution: A.I. and the Quest for More Power
New computer chips for new A.I.
The giant leap forward in computing for A.I. was driven by a tiny ingredient: the specialized computer chips called graphics processing units, or GPUs. Companies like the Silicon Valley chipmaker Nvidia originally designed these chips to render graphics for video games. But GPUs had a knack for running the math that powers what are known as neural networks, which can learn skills by analyzing large amounts of data. Neural networks are the basis of chatbots and other leading A.I. technologies.
How A.I. Models Are Trained
By analyzing massive datasets, algorithms can learn to distinguish between images, in what’s called machine learning. The example below demonstrates the training process of an A.I. model to identify an image of a flower based on existing flower images.
Difference between CPU and GPU-powered computers
- CPU: Can do many things, including simple math
- GPU: Can do thousands of calculations at once, making it ideal for parallel processing and A.I. applications
A.I. gets so hot, only water can cool it down.
A.I. systems can get very hot. As air circulates from the front of a rack and crosses the chips crunching calculations, it heats up. At Cirrascale’s Austin data center, the temperature around one rack started at 71.2 degrees Fahrenheit on the front and ended up at 96.9 degrees on the back side. If a rack isn’t properly cooled down, the machines — and potentially the whole data center — are at risk of catching fire.
The Rush to Build and Cool
There is a rush to keep building, said Dr. Jonathan Feng, a physicist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who led the report. "I don’t see this slowing down in the next few years."
Data Center Operators’ Dilemma
Data center operators are now having trouble finding electrical power in the United States. In areas like Northern Virginia — the world’s biggest hub of data centers because of its proximity to underwater cables that shuttle data to and from Europe — these companies have all but exhausted the available electricity. Some A.I. giants are turning to nuclear power. Microsoft is restarting the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania.
Conclusion
The change in computing is reshaping not just technology but also finance, energy, and communities. Private equity firms are plowing money into data center companies. Electricians are flocking to areas where the facilities are being erected. And in some places, locals are pushing back against the projects, worried that they will bring more harm than good.
FAQs
Q: What is the main driver of the change in computing?
A: The main driver is the rise of artificial intelligence (A.I.) and the need for more computing power to support it.
Q: What is the role of GPUs in A.I.?
A: GPUs are specialized computer chips that are designed to handle the complex math required for A.I. applications. They can perform thousands of calculations at once, making them ideal for A.I. applications.
Q: How do data centers cool their machines?
A: Data centers use various methods to cool their machines, including air conditioning, water cooling, and evaporative cooling.
Q: Why are data center operators having trouble finding electrical power?
A: Data center operators are having trouble finding electrical power because the demand for power is increasing rapidly, and the existing infrastructure is not able to keep up.
