Meta Pushes Into Power Trading as AI Sends Demand Soaring (yahoo.com) 17
Meta is moving to break into the wholesale power-trading business to better manage the massive electricity needs of its data centers. Bloomberg: The company, which owns Facebook, filed an application with US regulators this week seeking authorization to do so. A Meta representative said it was a natural next step to participate in energy markets as it looks to power operations with clean energy.
Buying electricity has become an increasingly urgent challenge for technology companies including Meta, Microsoft and Alphabet's Google. They're all racing to develop more advanced artificial intelligence systems and tools that are notoriously resource-intensive. Amazon, Google and Microsoft are already active power traders, according to filings with US regulators.
Buying electricity has become an increasingly urgent challenge for technology companies including Meta, Microsoft and Alphabet's Google. They're all racing to develop more advanced artificial intelligence systems and tools that are notoriously resource-intensive. Amazon, Google and Microsoft are already active power traders, according to filings with US regulators.
Title correction: (Score:3)
"Meta[stasize] Pushes Into Power Trading as AI Sends Demand Soaring"
or....
"Privacy Rapist Pushes Into Power Trading as AI Sends Demand Soaring"
There FTFY
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Mod parent sort of funny, though it didn't really clarify why gambling on the game you are controlling is so problematic.
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Full regulation! (Score:3)
Can start calling internet companies utilities now?
I say it's time for full regulation.
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Unfortunately I would rather have a dystopian Neromancer future than a Cuba/Venezuela shit-hole.
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Unfortunately I would rather have a dystopian Neromancer future than a Cuba/Venezuela shit-hole.
The U.S.A is already known as the "Shit-Hole of America", because the rest of the world can rename things too!
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I say it's time for full regulation.
Regulation by whom and over what? Must so many people believe every problem is best solved by more government?
I just finished watching a YouTube video where there are concerns that the FCC forced Jimmy Kimmel off the air. I have doubts on that but there's some suggestions that some veiled threats from people high up in the FCC was the last straw that got his show removed from the air. If there is any truth to that then that's a bad precedent for the federal government dictating what is allowed speech. W
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They own the company supplying there data centers electric which makes them a power trader.
Nothing do do with the internet side of the house.
The only thing that could stop this is a President telling the FIRC to issue a new order saying it's not allowed.
I don't see anyone on ether side of the isle who would do that and even if one did the next president would likely change it back.
The real question is (Score:2)
Why was Amazon, Google and Microsoft allowed to become power traders in the first place?
The answer is complicated, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) was given the power to allow corporations to become direct electric traders in 1996 during the Bill Clinton administration. The Supreme Court has upheld the FERC's power several times over the years.
Who the hell would have imagined in the 1990's that these mega tech companies would buy the electric companies supplying there data centers?
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The ghost of Enron.
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It's actually worse than Enron by a fair margin.
What this does is allow the mega-tech's (FANGS) lower there price at the expensive of spreading the price around to all of the customers which actually raises prices of normal families power bills. If you have a "AI" data center in your power grid just turning things off in your home will not lower your bill like it used to.
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HA - I guess William Gibson did imagine it back in the late 80's.
Re:The real question is (Score:4, Insightful)
Bill Clinton really is a spectacular piece of shit.
Signed the welfare reform act that created ABAWD
Signed the TCA, allowing massive media consolidation which was formerly illegal, leading to the rise of both Fox News and Sinclair Broadcasting
This shit
Rapey fucker to boot.
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Bill Clinton is the most effective Republican president there ever was.
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I thought it stemmed from the fact that these organizations are purchasing power generation facilities, or part stake holders in them.
Msft with their plan to revive three mile island and be sole recipient of all it's power generation, others with plans to purchase SMRs and other power generation facilities once construction is complete. A litany of renewable power generation projects owned by them.
Personally, I see this as a failure of public and private enterprise in actually providing for market needs. P