News Elon Musk’s xAI allegedly powers Colossus supercomputer facility using ‘illegal’ generators

[Admin]

xAI has reportedly built a 420 MW power facility to power the Colossus supercomputer that is set to expand to 200,000 GPUs and beyond.

Elon Musk’s xAI allegedly powers Colossus supercomputer facility using ‘illegal’ generators : Read more

 

[drea.drechsler]

So the generators are illegal... except they're legal? Sounds like a non-story until the 365 day period expires.

I also really think it's a weak argument that the generators are any more an environmental concern than the generators the local utilities would use to generate power. Especially since these generators use methane (according to the article). Unlike the LNG (liquefied natural gas) typically used by utilities to fuel their generators methane can be readily derived from carbon-neutral sources (land fill and sewage treatment waste gases, for instance) leaving the only other emission of significance H2O, or water.

Rather pointedly, the story misses it's mark if it doesn't follow the trail to find out where the methane is sourced, and how it's produced. What is interesting is that Space X reportedly plans to produce the methane its launchers use in quantity using something similar to the Sebatier process from atmospheric CO2. So even if they currently source their methane from coal or LNG, that they are using a methane burning generator (instead of more common LNG) suggests a plan to pivot to carbon neutral sources for its production in the future.

This could have been a much more interesting story, instead it looks more like another effort to burn Elon Musk with half-truths and misinformation.

 

[Pumapaw]

Global warming has been disproved. Climate change is what this planet does and now we are tending to be cooling. We need more nuclear reactors for dependable power. Also hydrogen power would be a good thing. Waste product of burning it is water.

 

[Notton]

If the punishment for a crime is a fine, then the law only exists for poor people.

 

[King_V]

Global warming has been disproved. Climate change is what this planet does and now we are tending to be cooling. We need more nuclear reactors for dependable power. Also hydrogen power would be a good thing. Waste product of burning it is water.

Might need to put a /s at the end there. People might think you're serious.

 

[nrdwka]

gaz turbines are pretty environment-friendly compared to fuel/charcoal based 🤔

 

[Pumapaw]

Might need to put a /s at the end there. People might think you're serious.

The byproduct of burning hydrogen gas is pure water. This makes hydrogen a clean fuel option, as it does not produce harmful emissions like carbon dioxide. Look it up.

 

[EzzyB]

So the generators are illegal... except they're legal? Sounds like a non-story until the 365 day period expires.

I also really think it's a weak argument that the generators are any more an environmental concern than the generators the local utilities would use to generate power. Especially since these generators use methane (according to the article). Unlike the LNG (liquefied natural gas) typically used by utilities to fuel their generators methane can be readily derived from carbon-neutral sources (land fill and sewage treatment waste gases, for instance) leaving the only other emission of significance H2O, or water.

Rather pointedly, the story misses it's mark if it doesn't follow the trail to find out where the methane is sourced, and how it's produced. What is interesting is that Space X reportedly plans to produce the methane its launchers use in quantity using something similar to the Sebatier process from atmospheric CO2. So even if they currently source their methane from coal or LNG, that they are using a methane burning generator (instead of LNG directly) suggests a plan to pivot to carbon neutral sources for its production in the future.

This could have been a much more interesting story, instead it looks more like just another back-door attempt to burn Elon Musk with half-truths and misinformation.

I think you're missing the point. The utilities are regulated. There are laws in place controlling them and they are a known quantity.

This is more like someone came in a built a good-sized power plant in your neighborhood without regard to environmental concerns. You wouldn't stand for it, at all. 420MW is absolutely no joke. As the article says you can power a city with that kind of power.

This is the kind of stupidity that AI is causing. The "winner" of this AI "war" that we're seeing, if there is one, gets the prize. Musk, famously, wants an AI that's "non-woke", Alibaba wants one that's answers are "properly socialist." Are you following? An AI is going to reflect the politics and views of it's creator so the winner gets to control the narrative. These huge companies and individuals like Musk believe that AI will become a standard way to get information and they want to be the one that provides the answers that slant towards their views. To them, that's worth literally anything.

 

[Notton]

The byproduct of burning hydrogen gas is pure water. This makes hydrogen a clean fuel option, as it does not produce harmful emissions like carbon dioxide. Look it up.

and how do you get said hydrogen?

 

[drea.drechsler]

I think you're missing the point. The utilities are regulated. There are laws in place controlling them and they are a known quantity.

This is more like someone came in a built a good-sized power plant in your neighborhood without regard to environmental concerns. You wouldn't stand for it, at all. 420MW is absolutely no joke. As the article says you can power a city with that kind of power.

This is the kind of stupidity that AI is causing. The "winner" of this AI "war" that we're seeing, if there is one, gets the prize. Musk, famously, wants an AI that's "non-woke", Alibaba wants one that's answers are "properly socialist." Are you following? An AI is going to reflect the politics and views of it's creator so the winner gets to control the narrative. These huge companies and individuals like Musk believe that AI will become a standard way to get information and they want to be the one that provides the answers that slant towards their views. To them, that's worth literally anything.

Plenty of good reasons to be concerned with whatever it is we might get from "AI". But that's not really what this was about. If the authors wanted to extend this article to include questions surrounding whether it's good for society to be expending these sorts of resources on questionable benefits of AI, that would have been great. But it didn't.

The facility has a period of time they can use this, the law was constructed to allow for it. And there are good, common sense reasons, for it to. What would have been helpful is to contact the facility and get some comments to questions like "what are your plans to get permitting straightened out".

I have a 300MW generating plant about 2 miles away from my house. It's a couple of LNG fired gas turbine generators nestled comfortably in forest clearing. It's what's called a "surge generator" station, for peak power demand periods, usually in summer time when everybody's using their AC at full blast (a large, fairly dense, suburban area). They are very effectively muffled, we can't tell whether it's running or not from our house. I can drive by it from the road and hear it, about same sound level there as freeway traffic from 2 miles away which I hear clearly in mornings during rush hours.

 

[SomeoneElse23]

Might need to put a /s at the end there. People might think you're serious.

He is serious. And he's correct.

That's why the manipulative slogan changed from "global warming" to "climate change".

There's always climate change so they can always use it to push their agenda.

 

[Zerk2012]

Old news the local news covered that about a year ago.

 

[RemmRun]

It's not a 'loophole' if it's allowed now is it?

 

[Co BIY]

Headline should have been.

"Musk provides his own clean power for AI project. Bypasses legacy utility monopoly. Anti-Musk activists not pleased."

 

[Co BIY]

Rather pointedly, the story misses it's mark if it doesn't follow the trail to find out where the methane is sourced, and how it's produced. What is interesting is that Space X reportedly plans to produce the methane its launchers use in quantity using something similar to the Sebatier process from atmospheric CO2. So even if they currently source their methane from coal or LNG, that they are using a methane burning generator (instead of more common LNG) suggests a plan to pivot to carbon neutral sources for its production in the future.

This could have been a much more interesting story, instead it looks more like another effort to burn Elon Musk with half-truths and misinformation.

Natural Gas is 95% Methane so I suspect they are just burning the same natural gas everyone else in the city is using.

Why the article says Methane is an interesting question. Did the enviros use it to make it sound more unusual and threatening or did the xAI people say it to "science it up" or "greenwash" it ?

 

[DataPotato]

I agree with EzzyB.
Also, as a Tennessean, I don't want unregulated pollution in my state, and the state government agrees. Optimistically, the TBI will shut down these generators and arrest the people running them.
Even if the energy being used wasn't for a Colossal waste, xAI isn't following the legal ways to get that energy.

 

[Hooda Thunkett]

He is serious. And he's correct.

That's why the manipulative slogan changed from "global warming" to "climate change".

There's always climate change so they can always use it to push their agenda.

He's "correct," is he?
So, the last ten years have been the hottest on record since 1880, and somehow global warming has been disproved and we're in a cooling phase? Do tell!

 

[USAFRet]

OK!!

Enough off topic junk about what is or is not happening with climate change, global warming, whatever.

This is the one and only warning on this.

 

[Hooda Thunkett]

It's not a 'loophole' if it's allowed now is it?

I'm pretty sure that's how loopholes work.

 

[Fujikoma]

The byproduct of burning hydrogen gas is pure water. This makes hydrogen a clean fuel option, as it does not produce harmful emissions like carbon dioxide. Look it up.

The byproduct of cleanly burned methane (natural gas contains mostly methane) includes water. The other component is carbon dioxide, which traps heat in the the atmosphere. An unclean burn produces carbon monoxide as well as other chemicals.

 

[hwertz]

A). Power company plants have scrubbers. The fuel they are burning is almost cetainly not 100% pure. These could be putting out water and CO2? Or they could be putting out hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides. That said I'd guess they're probably running pretty clean., but commercial plants are required to ensure this.

B) This is certainly a loophole, and in some cases loopholes are used until one is told they can't. Clearly a rule allowing a temporary turbine isn't intended to get permits for some and then just run the rest unpermitted..

C) It does follow a pattern of factories that don't have required fire alarms and other health and safety things, a few spacex launches without permitting in place, etc. I don't think the generators themselves are that big a deal but this pattern of 'I'm rich so I'll just flout the rules' with no consequence does get old.

Honestly, compared to everything else Musk is doing this is small potatoes, But good to know nevertheless. Will he just get 20 more permits? Fines? Fine and permits? No fines or permits and they have to get rid of them? No fines or permits and (like a car in a neighborhood where they chalk the tires) they just move them a couple feet every so often? Who knows.

 

[bigdragon]

The XAI Colossus facility is located in the middle of an industrial area if you look it up on the map. It's hardly in a residential community. However, the emissions and sounds from the generators will travel eastward into some low density housing. There's a wastewater facility, power plant, rail yards, and steel plant nearby too.

I think this story has more to do with Elon's usual deliberate avoidance of following laws and regulations. It's past time for some legal authority to snap him back into the real world and levy some actual penalties that he feels.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

This could have been a much more interesting story, instead it looks more like another effort to burn Elon Musk with half-truths and misinformation.

Given the pushback against Musk and his antics, this is to be expected. However, he's as good as anybody out there at providing half truths and misinformation. Maybe you don't see that?

If we're just gonna pan the author instead of opening our eyes, as the richest man in the world takes shortcuts and liberties. But, hey, when your that rich, you can pretty much do anything and get away with it. Or can you!? Hmmm

 

[Co BIY]

The XAI Colossus facility is located in the middle of an industrial area if you look it up on the map. It's hardly in a residential community. However, the emissions and sounds from the generators will travel eastward into some low density housing. There's a wastewater facility, power plant, rail yards, and steel plant nearby too.

Compare the Sat view of the xAI facility with the local utilities' power plant just north along the river.

The difference in environmental impact can be seen from space !

 

[USAFRet]

OK everyone....thanks for participating.

This has gone far enough, and I REALLY don't want to see anyone go over the edge and suffer further sanctions.