this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2024
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Futurology

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[–] Lugh 20 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Computers are starting to use staggering amounts of electricity. There is a trade-off here between the utility of the tasks they perform and the climate damage caused by generating all the electricity they need. Bitcoin mining is thought to be currently using 2% of America's electricity and seems an especially egregious waste of energy.

Radically diminishing computer's electricity requirements as they become more powerful should be seen as an urgent task.

[–] Noodle07@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Aren't modern computers taking way less energy than before per work? We just keep using more of it faster than the energy use decreases?

[–] cucumber_sandwich@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

Yes and yes

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

It has an even larger load in China. The invention of cryptocurrency has been a blight on the environment.

[–] pelya@lemmy.world 17 points 2 years ago (3 children)

So the whole chip is a complicated lens, that somehow can perform multiplication using 'analogue computation'.

Arxiv link

[–] kakes@sh.itjust.works 15 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Imo, analog computation is the way forward with this whole AI thing. It seems like a waste to perform calculations bit-by-bit when neural nets are generally okay with "fuzzy math" anyway.

[–] FenrirIII@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I don't want fuzzy math anywhere near autonomous armed machines. You want ED-209? Because that's how you get ED-209.

[–] Daxtron2@startrek.website 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

human brains are the epitome of fuzzy math machines

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

And have you seen what we've done with weapons for the entirety of our history?

[–] Daxtron2@startrek.website 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yeah so nothing will change

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Well we'd no longer be the dominant life form on the planet, and we'd get dealt a lot of our own medicine. So, quite a lot would change.

[–] Noodle07@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Uuuh fuzzy results?

[–] Xavienth@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 2 years ago

"fuzzy" isn't the right word.

[–] kakes@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 years ago

I mean, I personally agree, but the military has already made it clear they don't mind. ED-209 is basically an inevitability at this point.

[–] BasicTraveler@kbin.social 5 points 2 years ago

Idk, maybe. But i think you may have issues with tolerances and reproducibility. With analog and neutral nets your going to have edgecases where some devices will give vastly differing outcomes. For something that's fine but not for others.

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Sounds like we're building a true android then.

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

So first we tricked rocks into doing math, and now we've figured out how to trick glass into doing math? This is truly amazing.

[–] pelya@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

We tricked the same rocks we use for doing math into bending light like the glass, and we use that for doing math, yes.

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Reality is mind boggling sometimes.

[–] Mango@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Digital is also analog.

[–] JoMomma@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago

Automobile analogy: there is no replacement for displacement.... until there is?