Search results for University of California Riverside
AI & Enterprise
Water, not just power, emerges as new battleground in AI race as big tech retools data center cooling
As AI spreads and competition to build data centres intensifies, water is emerging as a key resource alongside power. Large volumes of water used for server cooling are becoming a burden for local communities, pushing big tech to adjust cooling strategies. SpaceX warned water shortages and regulation could affect future development. Companies are looking for different solutions, while studies point to trade-offs between water use and power demand, and community opposition is growing.
AI & Enterprise
U.S. data centre projects face backlash over power and water use as AI demand rises
Large-scale data centre projects in the United States are being delayed or cancelled as they run into power infrastructure constraints and local opposition, even as demand surges with the spread of artificial intelligence. Estimates put data centres’ 2023 electricity use at 176 terawatt-hours, about 4.4 percent of U.S. consumption, with AI potentially lifting that share to 10 to 20 percent. Disputes also centre on natural gas turbines, noise, water use and rising electricity bills.
AI & Enterprise
AI overuse can overload brains, \'brain fry\' warning
Excessive use of AI can overload office workers’ brains, a study found. Boston Consulting Group and a University of California, Riverside research team defined the cognitive overload from heavy use or supervision of AI tools as “brain fry.” In a survey of 1,488 U.S. full-time workers, 14 percent of AI users reported mental fatigue and symptoms including reduced concentration, slower decision-making and headaches.