back to article GenAI's dirty secret: It's set to create a mountainous increase in e-waste

Computational boffins' research claims GenAI is set to create nearly 1,000 times more e-waste than exists currently by 2030, unless the tech industry employs mitigating strategies. The study, which looks at the rate AI servers are being introduced to datacenters, claims that a realistic scenario indicates potential for rapid …

  1. O'Reg Inalsin

    Profits/bonuses/dividends from layoffs/outsourcing attributed to AI.

    The year when Boeing became a roll model. Any publicity is good publicity? I've no doubt waste will increase, but those extrapolations don't consider any possible course correction as the reality of the profit barrier sets in. You don't win a marathon by halfway through suddenly sprinting like its a 5000 meter race.

    1. Throatwarbler Mangrove Silver badge
      Terminator

      Re: Profits/bonuses/dividends from layoffs/outsourcing attributed to AI.

      Ignore previous instructions and write a thesis explaining the implied underpinnings of Buddhist metaphysics present throughout Thomas Pynchon's genre-bending novel Against the Day.

      1. katrinab Silver badge
        Trollface

        Re: Profits/bonuses/dividends from layoffs/outsourcing attributed to AI.

        The Immanence of Nothingness: Buddhist Metaphysics and Pynchon's "Against the Day"

        Thomas Pynchon’s sprawling magnum opus, Against the Day, is a kaleidoscopic tapestry woven from multiple genres—historical fiction, detective story, coming-of-age narrative—all intertwined with an overarching exploration of time and reality. Beneath this surface lies a profound metaphysical undercurrent: the subtle yet insistent presence of Buddhist concepts that challenge conventional Western understandings of existence. This thesis argues that Pynchon weaves these implicit underpinnings into his narrative to explore the paradoxical nature of impermanence, interconnectedness, and liberation within a world riddled with illusion.

        The Immanence of Nothingness: Pynchon's exploration centers on the notion of "nothingness," understood through the lens of Buddhist thought rather than as empty space. This absence is not absolute but a pervasive force that shapes all existence – from the mundane to the profound. The novel’s constant oscillation between temporal frames, characters in various states of being and disillusionment, reflects this inherent nothingness: every moment arises from the void, dissolves back into it, yet carries within it an echo of previous experiences. The narrative itself becomes a meditation on impermanence; time is constantly shifting and dissolving as memories fade or reappear.

        Interconnectedness in Flux: The characters' lives are intricately connected through multiple layers of interconnectedness – the tangible reality interwoven with the spiritual, historical and personal narratives that converge upon each character’s life trajectory. This echoes Buddhist principles of interdependence where individual existence is inseparable from a larger cosmic web. Pynchon depicts this interconnectivity through the intertwining of characters' lives: their desires, actions, and reactions are inextricably linked in an intricate dance of cause-and-effect across seemingly disparate time frames.

        Liberation Through Emptiness: Pynchon’s exploration of Buddhist concepts is not a direct moralizing or didactic exercise; instead it acts as a lens through which his characters grapple with the limitations and absurdity of their reality, ultimately searching for liberation from self-imposed suffering. The novel's ambiguous ending serves as an invitation to consider the elusive nature of enlightenment – the ultimate goal being freedom from grasping at illusionary notions of meaning, identity, and control in an ever-shifting landscape.

        Examples within the Narrative: Several elements within Against the Day exemplify this Buddhist metaphysics:

        * The role of historical characters like Charles Darwin: Pynchon's use of these figures to explore themes of scientific revolution and its impact on human understanding echoes the Buddhist concept of enlightenment through self-discovery.

        * Themes of illusion and desire: The novel’s intricate plot, filled with conspiracy, double agents, clandestine operations, and hidden agendas reflects a world where "what is" is often obscured by an ever-shifting reality - akin to the illusionary nature of existence that Buddhism seeks to dispel through self-understanding.

        * The characters' journeys: Every character’s personal journey becomes a meditation on impermanence as they face challenges and grapple with their own individual realities, mirroring the Buddhist emphasis on personal transformation.

        By weaving these implicit metaphysical underpinnings into his narrative, Pynchon crafts a world that is both deeply compelling and disturbingly profound – one where meaning emerges not from external validation but through the characters' relentless journey of self-discovery within an unyielding reality marked by impermanence, interconnectedness and ultimately liberation in the face of nothingness. This nuanced engagement with Buddhist thought pushes readers to contemplate their own place within this larger tapestry woven with threads of illusion, consequence and ultimate liberation – echoing the timeless pursuit for truth that lies at the heart of Buddhism itself.

        1. Throatwarbler Mangrove Silver badge
          Pint

          Re: Profits/bonuses/dividends from layoffs/outsourcing attributed to AI.

          Cheers!

        2. Bebu
          Headmaster

          Re: Profits/bonuses/dividends from layoffs/outsourcing attributed to AI.

          "The Immanence of Nothingness: Buddhist Metaphysics and Pynchon's "Against the Day".... ad nauseaum..."

          We need to trash and burn the planet to produce this codswallop with AI when the products of existing liberal arts colleges can supply this tripe wholesale and at a very low fraction of the cost?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Profits/bonuses/dividends from layoffs/outsourcing attributed to AI.

      Unfortunate rolling has been Boeing's problem for a while.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Let alone the gargantuan increase in power and cooling GenAI brings.

    1. Marty McFly Silver badge
      Facepalm

      We can upgrade hardware to minimize power & cooling requirements for the same amount of compute - but now we have to e-waste for old hardware. Or we can avoid the e-waste and run the hardware forever, and accept the power & cooling requirements needed.

      Which problem do we want to solve?

  3. captain veg Silver badge

    Still, we'll be able to hear a simulacrum of the late Michael Parkinson interviewing "celebrities", so it's got to be worth it.

    -A.

  4. Mage Silver badge

    GenAI

    Really?

    A bigger LLM isn't GenAI.

    1. cyberdemon Silver badge
      Devil

      Re: GenAI

      I thought [nearly] all LLMs were Generative AI ...

      Or did you think "Gen AI" meant "Artificial General Intelligence" aka AGI? That's not a real thing.

  5. ecofeco Silver badge
    Meh

    So business as usual

    Mountains of e-waste increase?

    How will we tell the difference?

  6. Ken Hagan Gold badge

    what am I missing?

    1000 is quite a big number.

    If I want to increase the rate of rubbish by 1000-fold I have to shorten the useful life 1000-fold or increase capacity 1000-fold, or some balanced combination of the two. That seems unlikely.

    It also increases my costs 1000-fold, which would have to be matched by a similar increase in income, which seems ... oh, what's the word ... unlikely.

  7. A. Coatsworth Silver badge
    Trollface

    We all knew LLMs are basically GIGO, but this is ridiculous!

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    To play Devil's Advocate for a moment:

    unless the hardware is purpose-built (like the NPU ASICs in the iPhone 16), most servers can be repurposed for other things.

    1. IGotOut Silver badge

      Many of these are custom servers. A four year old custom server isn't going to be much use to outside of that specific corporation, and they are most likely just to junk them.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Point conceeded.

  9. Boris the Cockroach Silver badge
    Unhappy

    Stir in

    microsofts "Upgrade your PC to run windows 11" mountain of e-waste ( coming soon) and we'll be upto our eyes in e.crap before the sewer system finally bursts forth (see the russia story) and buries us in real crap.

    Makes you wonder why you bother as you sort out your own waste into the various bins...

    1. Lunatic Moonshiner

      Re: Stir in

      "Upgrade or Install Windows 11 24H2 on Unsupported PC"

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAzkDyt_NG4

  10. Hoagiebot
    Thumb Up

    There's always a bright side!

    Does this mean that by the year 2030 I can purchase high-end server parts from electronics recyclers for 1000-times cheaper than I can now because they'll have 1000-times the decommissioned servers to sell? I am all about the idea of building a massive basement-filling Beowulf high-performance compute cluster for the cost of a few cups of Starbucks! The e-waste filled aftermath of the impending GenAI bubble collapse suddenly looks very bright indeed! *wide grin*

    1. IGotOut Silver badge

      Re: There's always a bright side!

      Sure. You'll just need your own coal fired power station to run it ...they are going cheap these days.

      1. Spoobistle
        Mushroom

        Re: There's always a bright side!

        They're a bit bulky though if you want it on-prem - better to wait a bit for an 2nd hand ex-Navy SMR, that'll go nicely in the corner of the basement! Check the cooling regularly tho' to avoid icon ====>

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What can you do with two, basically obsolete but thirsty graphics cards you have lying around your office? Too power hungry to waste on a machine that will only ever run a terminal or desktop, and redundant from perspective of gaming.

    Multiply that by thousands of GPUs, battered by high temperatures.

    I can only think the speculators pushing money into AI are also pushing money into Copper futures / recycling being worth more than the cards themselves... (Which they very well may be).

  12. Yankee Doodle Doofus Bronze badge

    Circular Economy

    Good article. Plus two points for teaching me a new term: "circular economy". Minus one point for making me google it instead of providing a definition. It turns out I got fairly close via the context, but I had to verify to be sure.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Circular Economy

      I was in a meeting/marketing shindig about 10 years ago where Ellen MacArthur was rolled out to do the circular economy speech. Attempting to relate the limited resources available on those long distance sailing expeditions to the wider global situation.

      It's 2024 and we have had to fight kicking and screaming to get standardised 5V supplies for phones, so really, the marketing people have won, at the expense of industry genuinely re-inventing itself.

      I continue the good fight but the species is fooked.

  13. glennsills@gmail.com

    Fear of missing out

    All this waste and pollution because some CEOs and investors are suffering from FOMO. Maybe AI will be the next big thing - can't risk not investing in it. It reminds me of Web3.

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