Artificial intelligence technology behind ChatGPT was built in Iowa - with a lot of water
CTV
The cost of building an artificial intelligence product like ChatGPT can be hard to measure. But one thing Microsoft-backed OpenAI needed for its technology was plenty of water, pulled from the watershed of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers in central Iowa to cool a powerful supercomputer as it helped teach its AI systems how to mimic human writing.
The cost of building an artificial intelligence product like ChatGPT can be hard to measure.
But one thing Microsoft-backed OpenAI needed for its technology was plenty of water, pulled from the watershed of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers in central Iowa to cool a powerful supercomputer as it helped teach its AI systems how to mimic human writing.
As they race to capitalize on a craze for generative AI, leading tech developers including Microsoft, OpenAI and Google have acknowledged that growing demand for their AI tools carries hefty costs, from expensive semiconductors to an increase in water consumption.
But they're often secretive about the specifics. Few people in Iowa knew about its status as a birthplace of OpenAI's most advanced large language model, GPT-4, before a top Microsoft executive said in a speech it "was literally made next to cornfields west of Des Moines."
Building a large language model requires analyzing patterns across a huge trove of human-written text. All of that computing takes a lot of electricity and generates a lot of heat. To keep it cool on hot days, data centers need to pump in water -- often to a cooling tower outside its warehouse-sized buildings.
In its latest environmental report, Microsoft disclosed that its global water consumption spiked 34% from 2021 to 2022 (to nearly 1.7 billion gallons, or more than 2,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools), a sharp increase compared to previous years that outside researchers tie to its AI research.
"It's fair to say the majority of the growth is due to AI," including "its heavy investment in generative AI and partnership with OpenAI," said Shaolei Ren, a researcher at the University of California, Riverside who has been trying to calculate the environmental impact of generative AI products such as ChatGPT.
Peel Public Health says nearly 16,000 students in the region could be suspended due to incomplete immunization records.
On Thursday morning, 68-year-old Mava Brydges put the weight of a household refrigerator onto her back, lowered herself toward the floor and then stood up again.
At this month’s Milan Cortina Paralympics, some athletes competed in shorts, T-shirts and tank tops. One skier lamented “tropical” conditions and a snowboarder complained that soft, slow snow put him at a disadvantage. And some worried about their safety.
Ottawa is expected to announce $552 million in funding for academic research projects this morning.
Two people are dead after donating plasma at Winnipeg collection centres.
Divorce may call to mind shouting matches and seething emotions. But in some marriages, silence and suppression are the defining traits.
Major storms whipped up tornadoes that killed at least two people in northwest Indiana and leveled buildings in Kankakee, Illinois, authorities said Wednesday, as another round of rain, hail and strong winds made its way through the region.
Computer chip demand has skyrocketed this year and one Harvard professor points to AI as a potential cause.
Prince Edward Island has announced a major leadership change at the province’s health authority.
Commuters, residents and tourists who take to social media during warm months to complain about sweltering subway systems in New York, Boston and London should feel vindicated — new research says they aren’t alone.
A large portion of the country from Ontario to Newfoundland is bracing for a wet wintry weather mix on Wednesday, with some regions expected to see a “critical freezing rain event,” according to Environment Canada.
A massive space probe could plummet into Earth’s atmosphere as soon as Tuesday evening — years earlier than expected. And while most of the spacecraft will likely disintegrate in a flaming blaze during reentry, a few components could survive, according to NASA.