Correspondence: Unnecessary Argumentative Squabbling
The FT's articles on advanced tech are generally crystal clear and packed with information, but sometimes a tad more clarity wouldn't hurt.
Case in point is the Oracle-Nvidia deal's Stargate data center in Abilene, Texas. This colossal facility is slated to swallow up a whopping 1.2 gigawatts of power[1][2][3]. Here's a platitude: With great power comes great responsibility. Meaning, this data center will put that gigawatt to good use, not squander it.
The watt, you ask? It's a measure of power, specifically the rate of electrical energy transfer or the rate at which work gets done. It was named after none other than James Watt, the Scottish polymath who cylindrically improved steam engines and jouled his way into history[4].
So, what will Stargate do with all this power? Well, it'll run up to 400,000 Nvidia GB200 GPUs, a sizeable portion of Oracle's $40 billion investment in Nvidia chips[1][2][3]. Each rack housing these GPUs has a peak power draw of 120 kilowatts before considering power and cooling losses[1]. Managing power consumption efficiently is key to maintaining operational efficiency and minimizing environmental impact.
The power for this data center comes from both on-site power generation and renewable sources, like West Texas wind farms[2]. This blend aims to strike a balance between efficiency and sustainability, ensuring the facility can run smoothly while doing its part for Mother Nature.
To ensure maximum efficiency and eco-friendliness, the Stargate data center's strategy involves analyzing power consumption in relation to the operation of up to 400,000 Nvidia GPUs, requiring continuous technology for data-and-cloud computing to optimize its usage. This holistic approach not only ensures the data center's operational sustainability but also validates the responsibility that comes with wielding such power in the technological realm.
