I watched Nvidia's Computex 2024 keynote and it made my blood run cold
I watched Nvidia's Computex 2024 keynote and it made my blood run cold
Nvidia's pre-Computex keynote address was certainly something, and none of it felt good.
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All these issues are valid and need solving but I'm kind of tired of people implying we shouldn't do certain work because of efficiency.
And tech gets all the scrutiny for some reason (it's transparency?). I can't recall the last time I've seen an article on industrial machine efficiency and how we should just stop producing whatever.
What we really need to do is find ways to improve efficiency on all work while moving towards carbon neutrality. All work is valid.
If I want to compute pi for no reason or drive to the Grand Canyon for lunch, I should be able to do so.
Disagree that all work is valid. That only makes sense in a world with no resource constraints
If I want to compute pi for no reason or drive to the Grand Canyon for lunch, I should be able to do so.
Are you able to explain why?
I'm sure I won't be very eloquent about it but simply, liberty. Freedom of compute is on par with freedom of thought and expression.
Freedom of travel is something else, but I'm sure most people that don't like being imprisoned can appreciate.
Work (as in energy expenditure) enables these freedoms and I think it's important not to stifle that whenever possible.
This would be fine if there were no externalities.
"Hey fucker, your right to swing your fist ends where it collides with someone else's face"
^ Dont make me tap the sign
Computing and leisure travel aren't human rights, while freedoms of thought and expression are.
I just disagree. Computing is expression and in my opinion freedom of travel should be a human right.
Even if you add "leisure" to it to bolster your argument.
Well you are free to travel with your feet, because in 50 years from now I am not so sure you'll be able to do it with a plane anymore.
Efficiency??
This is about the total amount of emissions, not the emissions-per-unit-of-compute (or whatever).
Not sure what you're getting at. Increased system efficiency lowers total emissions or at least increases work capacity.
Yeah, but no https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox
The climate doesn't give a toss how much value for shareholders is generated, all that matters is the total amount of emissions.
Unless you're looking to get rid of half of humanity and go back to living like the Amish I don't think we can put that genie back in the bottle.
What we can do is work on how energy is generated and increase efficiency. And this has nothing to do with shareholders.
Anyone with experience in corporate operations will tell you the ROI on process changes is dramatically higher than technology. People invent so many stupid and dangerous ways to "improve" their work area. The worst part is that it just takes a little orchestration to understand their needs and use that creativity to everyone's benefit.