Forum Topic

Loving all these MASSIVE Data Centres being built and clustered in North Acton/Park Royal.

Puts us FIRMLY on the map for a nuclear first strike.Or other nefarious acts of war/sabotage.How comforting.Probably/possibly suck up all the power available too?(Yes, yes, I'm very aware they have their own assigned "Power Grids", dedicated emergency generators, etc but you'll never convince me there still won't be, errrrr, "power supply issues" affecting householders.)Still, as long as Councils, Developers, Everyone And Their Dog can make ££££££s by relentlessly stuffing these things in without regard to Multiple Impacts that's the most important thing.Great innnit!

Rosco White ● 3d4 Comments

My reading of the proposal as per the front page is that the site will have a substation, but that is for distribution of electricity not its generation. The 'generator gantry'is a gantry, for moving equipment. The internet is dependent on data centres for its operation and the size of data centres needed to sustain AI means it will become dependent and smaller number of larger centres and be vulnerable to electricity demands. We've already seen major house building delayed in west London due to the need to upgrade the electricity grid, so expect more of this.

Vlod Barchuk ● 19h

The Internet was designed to route around areas destroyed by a nuclear attack. At it's core is a robust decentralised network.If you check the old nuclear strike maps for the south of England, you'll see that hitting the centre of London and Heathrow is enough to put the Greater London area out oof commission, including Acton

David Scott ● 1d

Good points Vlod, but, as I said, these Data Centres have their own generators, so would still require to be taken out?And a moot point of course if the internet is completely shut down/destroyed anyway.

Rosco White ● 1d

The problem with AI is that it is incredibly energy hungry; squaring this demand with targets for net zero and more housing has not been addressed. Though I doubt it creates any kind of military target, much easier to take out the power stations supplying the electricity.

Vlod Barchuk ● 1d