#AI-powered mining

[silentgrim]

two flower boys, one lover

[foxgirltail]

Yes, microsoft trying to make a "zero-water" data center (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-unveils-zero-water-data-170002064.html) is unambiguously a good thing. Obviously any reduction of pollution or water usage is a good thing. No, I don't think that means that ai's usage of water is something to singlehandedly be up in arms about.

By all means, be upset about ai! Just don't only be upset about ai for this or that when basically every other industry on the planet has the same exact problems.

A single cotton t-shirt requires 2700 liters of water, 5 trillion liters of water are used annually for fabric dying, and 20% of all water pollution is from garment production (source: https://www.wri.org/insights/apparel-industrys-environmental-impact-6-graphics)

This medium article (https://medium.com/@notkavi/stop-acting-like-ai-uses-a-lot-of-water-fafea5573c63) compares the numbers cited in the same study as the latest news articles about ai water usage ("Making AI Less 'Thirsty' by Pengfei Li et al https://arxiv.org/pdf/2304.03271) to the water needed to make beef. GPT-3 used as much water to train as it takes to feed 12 usamericans their average annual burger-patty supply. One quarter-pounder uses as much water as 36k GPT-3 queries or 3.6k GPT-4 queries.

Here is a comparison of Microsoft's water usage in 2022 to the water usage of golf courses:

In 2022, Microsoft claimed it used 1.7 billion gallons (6.44 billion liters) of water. Between 2003 and 2005, the golfing industry used approximately 2.08 billion gallons (7.87 billion liters) of water DAILY for course irrigation. (water usage of golf courses has dropped an estimated 29% between 2020 and 2005 - https://www.gcsaa.org/media/news-release/2022-news-releases/2022/07/26/golf-courses-reduce-water-usage-by-29-percent-according-to-national-survey - this still amounts to ~1.48 billion gallons or ~6.74 billion liters daily. 2 days of golf is more than a year of Microsoft's water usage)

Source for golf water use: https://www.usga.org/content/dam/usga/pdf/Water%20Resource%20Center/how-much-water-does-golf-use.pdf

Source for ai water use: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tech/ai-chatgpt-water-power-usage-b1106592.html

Yes, the world would benefit from less water usage for ai. But when you posit ai as uniquely evil for it's water usage, I have a hard time believing you actually have an issue with the water usage. Instead it seems like you just want a reason to dislike ai.

My goal is for all of these industries, and many more, to severely reduce their water consumption, or to even stop existing as industries at all! Is that yours as well? If so, why doesn't it feel like it.

[goldensakuma]

『可愛い目してるね〜 ♡』

+bonus giggly Raul bc he's just too adorable!! (≧◡≦)🤍🧡

[everoutoftouch]

Why don't we start it over do it all again 🎶

[wat3rm370n]

Image is a USGS government map of the united states with areas where uranium is found in red, mostly in the area of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/figure-uranium-resources-united-states

AI hype is driving the mining industry to dig up more uranium in the US.

How AI’s Need For Nuclear Energy Is Fueling A Rise In U.S. Uranium Mining - CNBC Jun 12, 2025 (VIDEO) Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft are all betting on nuclear energy to power their AI data centers. The industry is also getting a boost from the Trump administration. Uranium stocks lighting up as President Trump signs a suite of executive orders aimed at expanding the nation's nuclear power infrastructure. Trump's executive orders ease the regulatory process around, and accelerate the construction of new nuclear power plants in the US. The administration wants to quadruple the nation's nuclear energy capacity from 100GW in 2024 to 400GW by 2050. US uranium requirements are expected to increase from 47 million pounds to approximately 190 million pounds per year, according to one uranium miner.

Even if you think nuclear is a good idea, you have to worry about how this is going to get started new mining that isn't actually needed, build these data centers instead of housing, and then abandon it abruptly when the AI hype financial bubble pops and they all crash and burn and then of course the taxpayers are on the hook to bail out the rich people again. 

CNBC - Why uranium mining is having a resurgence in the United States - Published Thu, Jun 12 2025 Magdalena Petrova That’s changing as electricity demand skyrockets thanks to power-hungry AI models being developed by tech giants including Microsoft, Google, Meta and Amazon , as well as a global push for cleaner energy. This emphasis on nuclear power is also driving demand for uranium. A recently released report by the Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that if demand for nuclear energy continues to grow, known uranium deposits will run out by 2080. “Right now the uranium miners globally are not keeping up with demand,” said John Cash, president and CEO of uranium mining company Ur-Energy. “It takes years from discovery to the time you produce. So it’s going to take years for that gap to be closed between those two, and all the while, we see tremendous growing demand for nuclear power.” The domestic uranium industry has received bipartisan support from the U.S. government.

[lehhoh7822]

this is art. my ears are bleeding.

this is why ai can never replace humans because this made me wanna throw myself out of the window. i love it. fuck.

[tvckerwash]

people wonder why wash was used in one of the simulations to fragment alpha, and while there are a variety of possible reasons both in and out of universe to explain it, I really like the idea that prior to being fragmented the director and the counselor were originally going to let alpha choose who he was to be paired with, and he chose wash (much like how cortana chose to be paired with master chief).

[mobiloittetechblogs]

Mobiloitte: Smart IT Solutions for Efficient Mining Operations

Mobiloitte: Smart IT Solutions for Efficient Mining Operations

[unrealityliminal]

[spidine]

[kyriolex]

I know this is only for Snapdragon laptops, but the fact that it’s an option at all is concerning. I hope people keep up the backlash so Microsoft doesn’t even THINK about porting this to other devices.

[zomb13s]

CAPITALIS EX MACHINA: On Structural Neglect, Conscious Exploitation, and the Evolutionary Standstill of Human Potential

Abstract In the world of techno-capitalism, creative and metaphysical evolution is systematically parasitized by structures that reward compliance …CAPITALIS EX MACHINA: On Structural Neglect, Conscious Exploitation, and the Evolutionary Standstill of Human Potential

[advisoryoutlook]

U.S. Sees Resurgence in Uranium Mining Amid Soaring Energy Demand and Nuclear Push

After decades of decline, uranium mining is making a comeback in the United States. Once a global leader in uranium production during the 1960s through the mid-1980s, the U.S. saw its domestic output plunge due to shifting energy priorities, falling prices, and a series of nuclear accidents that tarnished public perception of nuclear energy.

“A lot of this was because uranium was once a government priority,” said Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “But in the 1990s, we saw a de-prioritization of uranium production, even as the country continued to invest in nuclear energy.”

Public fears intensified after incidents like the 2011 Fukushima disaster, contributing to plummeting uranium prices and forcing U.S. producers to shutter mines. Despite being the world’s largest producer of nuclear energy, the U.S. currently imports over 95% of its uranium feedstock to power its 94 nuclear reactors, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

A New Age of Demand

Now, a new wave of demand—driven by both artificial intelligence-powered data centers and the global push for carbon-free energy—is renewing interest in nuclear power, and by extension, uranium.

Tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Amazon are building massive AI models that require immense computing power, thereby increasing pressure on the electric grid. Nuclear power, known for its reliability and low emissions, has re-emerged as a key solution.

“Right now, uranium miners globally are not keeping up with demand,” said John Cash, President and CEO of Ur-Energy, a U.S.-based uranium mining company. “It takes years to go from discovery to actual production, so we’re going to see a persistent gap while demand continues to rise.”

According to a joint report by the Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency, current uranium reserves could be depleted by 2080 if nuclear demand continues at its current pace.

Federal Support Boosts the Industry

The revival of U.S. uranium mining is being backed by significant bipartisan political support. In 2024, the Biden administration banned imports of Russian uranium and allocated $2.7 billion to expand domestic uranium enrichment and conversion capacity.

Meanwhile, in May 2025, President Trump signed four executive orders aimed at fast-tracking the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors with an ambitious goal: quadruple the nation's nuclear capacity from 100 GW in 2024 to 400 GW by 2050.

Despite these efforts, experts caution that the U.S. alone cannot meet its uranium demand.

“Even if every permitted and operable uranium project in the U.S. came online, we still wouldn’t be able to satisfy our domestic needs,” said Mark Chalmers, President and CEO of Energy Fuels, another key uranium miner. “The U.S. has the potential to expand production, but we hold less than 1% of the world’s known uranium reserves.”

Scaling Up Comes with Challenges

CNBC spoke to both Ur-Energy and Energy Fuels about their efforts to ramp up uranium production. While restarting old mines and opening new ones is under way, miners face long lead times, regulatory hurdles, and global competition for investment.

Still, the shift marks a pivotal moment for U.S. energy policy—one that aligns nuclear energy with national security, economic resilience, and the race to meet growing power demands in the AI era.

[amastelaire]

hmmmm

OC ask meme: drawing studies

Tag the post with the names of your Original Characters when you reblog it, so that people can request a specific one, if they want to.

🖐️ - draw your OC’s hand or hands. What’s distinctive about them?

🥾- draw your OC’s boots. Not shoes - boots. In what circumstances do they wear them?

💃 - character in their dance, party or wedding outfit.

🐝 - character with their daemon (or animal familiar.)

🌈 - represent the colour palettes used in your OC’s clothing.

🎨 - represent the colours you use to draw your OC - hey, this might be a useful reference…

👶 - OC in their youth; or, if they didn’t have one, at the beginning of their journey; this may be shown as background.

👵 - character shown older, or if they do not age, at the end of their journey; this may be shown as background.

🗝️ - character depicted with something revealing of their personality, secrets or motivations.

👜 - Personal items carried by or associated with your OC, in an arrangement, labelled.

🦺 - character’s work uniform or work outfit. If they don’t work, reinterpret or take 🎭

🎭 - character study (happy) and character study (sad), presented together.

🪞- draw character with a mask or mirror used to represent an aspect of themselves.

🤟 - drawing representing the culture, native language, national origin, or other formative influence of the character.

🏇 - drawing based on most recent emoji + your character.

[unrealityliminal]

[aestariiwilderness]

@clawedandcute @zelda-was-here

"don't worry scully, i can fix it"

(spoiler alert: he could not. scully had to rescue him)