Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the "demonisation of data centres" needs to end if Ireland is to keep up in the tech and artificial intelligence sector
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The "demonization of data"? Nobody is demonizing data centres. The pricks that want to fill the country with them when the power grid is already stretched are the real assholes in this story!
If the Taoiseach is determined not to be left behind,
I suggest investing in grey matter.
It’s far more enduring, adaptable, and what really sets it apart, imaginative
There would be less resistance if he improved energy production and lowered the massive bills caused by data centres' excessive electricity consumption, but why do that when he can just whinge at us?
Data centres are not centres of innovation anymore than quarries led the development of the motor car. They're environmentally damaging infrastructure that make someone else's profitable innovation viable
Are they being demonised or are people pointing out our grid can’t support the pace of building them? Or the lack of strategy needed to support them going forward? Their gas powered generators could be called on by the grid for example, excess heat for homes, huge roof space for PV arrays etc.
The Tallaght District Heating scheme is an example of what could be done. I’m doubtful that’s what he has in mind though. What is in the prog for govt on climate action? Must have a look 👀
The worrying thing about his comment is how staggeringly ignorant it is and how blithely unaware he is of the ramifications of having more data centres, the drain on resources and increasing emissions it will cause.
How in gods name can Ireland step up anymore than we already are? Does he want 50% of our power going to datacenters? 75% 80%? Is there a country in the world that gives a larger amount of its electricity to data centers than Ireland?
Should there be though? They have to go somewhere and it will mean burning more fossil fuels if they are anywhere else. Our cool stable climate makes Ireland the ideal place for them.
For sure we need to do better at generating electricity renewably, but that's a different conversation.
Should there be a country with higher electricity percentage usage? Well if micheal Martin is saying that Ireland needs to step up it would indicate that there are lots of countries doing more
For me I think as many as possible should be here. Typically ~50% of the energy goes on air conditioning to keep the servers cool but the warmer the climate the higher that figure will be.
Every data centre in Ireland is one less in California where it would require far more energy to run.
There are no people there to service and maintain them. If there were they would need to heat homes etc against the climate there. And you would end up heating the servers in the winter.
The summers are too hot in most populated areas of North America, Asia and Europe.
Why does it have to be useful? That's the sort of argument the right use against funding the arts. Why can't it just be fun or trivial or useless?
These things will exist somewhere. Ireland is the best location. The key to this is generating the electricity needed without releasing loads of carbon.
“For sure we need to do better at generating electricity renewably, but that's a different conversation.”
It isn’t. If we place the importance of what the electricity is used for above the means of production, the latter will, by definition, never be the priority. 1/2
Even with data centres being installed renewable electricity generation has been steadily increasing for over 20 years. We are to wind what Saudi Arabia is to oil.
I imagine that, given this government isn't corrupt (?), and corporate donations are not a thing in Ireland, there must be some very effective lobbying going on. Seems to be a rather opaque business, both at State and EU level
"keep up in the tech and artificial intelligence sector"
You could be forgiven for thinking these were Irish data centres...they're not, they're American!
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I suggest investing in grey matter.
It’s far more enduring, adaptable, and what really sets it apart, imaginative
Getting Dangerously close to calling it a hate crime to dislike "data centres"
For sure we need to do better at generating electricity renewably, but that's a different conversation.
Every data centre in Ireland is one less in California where it would require far more energy to run.
The summers are too hot in most populated areas of North America, Asia and Europe.
Best places are 🇮🇪🏴🇳🇴🇮🇸🇩🇰
These things will exist somewhere. Ireland is the best location. The key to this is generating the electricity needed without releasing loads of carbon.
It isn’t. If we place the importance of what the electricity is used for above the means of production, the latter will, by definition, never be the priority. 1/2
And it is in that spirit—asking not, “why should we have it?” but “how long can we keep it?”—that people raise concerns. And that isn’t Luddism.
We can and will build it.
And we have to be nice to investors, donchaknow?
You could be forgiven for thinking these were Irish data centres...they're not, they're American!