The permanent governing class loves fake trade-offs because fake trade-offs create paralysis. In this case, the pitch is that local edge computing somehow saves America from building the industrial-scale AI infrastructure needed to compete with China. That is nonsense, and Muse exposes it cleanly. Edge inference is the showroom. Centralized training is the factory. You need both. Anyone telling county boards, activists, or conservative audiences that data centers are dead should be asked the oldest question in politics and business: who profits? America needs power, chips, cooling, land, and backbone. China is building. We should not be talking ourselves into surrender.
Wake Up, America: The Dumbing-Down Pipeline to Mandarin Mandates
Americans have been systematically dummied down by a perfect storm of soul-rotting comforts: pumpkin spice addictions at Starbucks, endless drive-thru laziness, online gambling apps draining wallets and willpower, and weed legalization turning ambition into couch-locked haze. While we zone out, the Chinese have infiltrated our universities, stolen tech through espionage, and embedded deep in our heart chords—hollowing out the next generation.
AI is the final arena for world dominance. Centralized data centers or edge distractions, the fight is existential. If MUSE and LUTHMANN aren’t screaming this from the rooftops to wake the f*** up, we’ll lose. Your kids will be speaking Mandarin before high school graduation. The salesmen of decline are wrong. Build, compete, or submit.
Pinky, excellent interpretation of the current dangers that many anti data center activists refuse to see. I believe a large portion of them are radical environmentalists who have decided that their purpose in life changed when the US withdrew from the Paris Climate Accords and their past belief in catastrophic climate change, left them feeling like the rug had been pulled out from underneath them. They are seeking a new purpose in life and that purpose is actively fighting progress in the form of land use policies. It is a hypocritical stance because so many people use Ai and save data to a cloud. They fail to realize that Ai can solve our environmental issues and make farmland more productive and sustainable.
My understanding of these issues is pretty sketchy. However I am trying to expand my understanding. As usual your analyses are eye opening for me. Thank you for helping to educate me.
I'm with you Thomas. I've been in the caboose of technology for a long time, then the RR's eliminated the caboose! I do enjoy the ride trying to comprehend where all this leads. Eventually it will lead to a world government, a world currency, probably digital, and a world leader with the title of anti-Christ. What a time to be alive!
However it is worth asking how the current build out in data centers will generate a positive ROI? Or indeed if it ever does?
It is not at all implausible that the US does not need (m)any more to be constructed and that stopping them from being built may end up saving people exposed via pension funds etc. from taking a larger loss when the data centers they might otherwise have indirectly financed go titsup.com or require the US government (and hence taxpayer) to bail out IT companies and financial institutions that are over exposed to data center losses
Have you ever considered writing books in the genre of popularized science? One of my favorite authors in that field (not counting the late Richard Feynman) is Nick Lane, who writes about cellular microbiology and evolution. I'll bet you'd love him. And you have a gift for this kind of thing yourself.
I believe this article was the first time I read the term “edge computing”. That’s my starting point, but your piece was clear and your arguments logical. I appreciate the concise introduction to the subject. I expect “Stop the Data Centers” to play loudly for the near term.
Foreign Billionaires like Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss has contributed nearly $14 million to four groups to stop American data centers. The groups are leftist environmental activists including the Indivisible Project, Americans for Financial Reform, Sierra Club, and Greenpeace USA. British climate activist Chris Hohn, and others are actively working to put in place bans on data centers in the US. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said, “It’s not organic or local….they don’t talk about climate change because the’ve realized it’s a losing argument….
Wake Up, America: The Dumbing-Down Pipeline to Mandarin Mandates
Americans have been systematically dummied down by a perfect storm of soul-rotting comforts: pumpkin spice addictions at Starbucks, endless drive-thru laziness, online gambling apps draining wallets and willpower, and weed legalization turning ambition into couch-locked haze. While we zone out, the Chinese have infiltrated our universities, stolen tech through espionage, and embedded deep in our heart chords—hollowing out the next generation.
AI is the final arena for world dominance. Centralized data centers or edge distractions, the fight is existential. If MUSE and LUTHMANN aren’t screaming this from the rooftops to wake the f*** up, we’ll lose. Your kids will be speaking Mandarin before high school graduation. The salesmen of decline are wrong. Build, compete, or submit.
The strategic takeaway for America (and any serious player) is to do both aggressively: build out the centralized AI infrastructure needed to lead in model development and scale, while fully embracing edge computing for deployment, efficiency, and new use cases. Slowing down on either would be a mistake.
The permanent governing class loves fake trade-offs because fake trade-offs create paralysis. In this case, the pitch is that local edge computing somehow saves America from building the industrial-scale AI infrastructure needed to compete with China. That is nonsense, and Muse exposes it cleanly. Edge inference is the showroom. Centralized training is the factory. You need both. Anyone telling county boards, activists, or conservative audiences that data centers are dead should be asked the oldest question in politics and business: who profits? America needs power, chips, cooling, land, and backbone. China is building. We should not be talking ourselves into surrender.
Pretty much the same methodology used to stop oil sands, pipeline and LNG export terminal development in Canada.
Wake Up, America: The Dumbing-Down Pipeline to Mandarin Mandates
Americans have been systematically dummied down by a perfect storm of soul-rotting comforts: pumpkin spice addictions at Starbucks, endless drive-thru laziness, online gambling apps draining wallets and willpower, and weed legalization turning ambition into couch-locked haze. While we zone out, the Chinese have infiltrated our universities, stolen tech through espionage, and embedded deep in our heart chords—hollowing out the next generation.
AI is the final arena for world dominance. Centralized data centers or edge distractions, the fight is existential. If MUSE and LUTHMANN aren’t screaming this from the rooftops to wake the f*** up, we’ll lose. Your kids will be speaking Mandarin before high school graduation. The salesmen of decline are wrong. Build, compete, or submit.
Pinky, excellent interpretation of the current dangers that many anti data center activists refuse to see. I believe a large portion of them are radical environmentalists who have decided that their purpose in life changed when the US withdrew from the Paris Climate Accords and their past belief in catastrophic climate change, left them feeling like the rug had been pulled out from underneath them. They are seeking a new purpose in life and that purpose is actively fighting progress in the form of land use policies. It is a hypocritical stance because so many people use Ai and save data to a cloud. They fail to realize that Ai can solve our environmental issues and make farmland more productive and sustainable.
My understanding of these issues is pretty sketchy. However I am trying to expand my understanding. As usual your analyses are eye opening for me. Thank you for helping to educate me.
I'm with you Thomas. I've been in the caboose of technology for a long time, then the RR's eliminated the caboose! I do enjoy the ride trying to comprehend where all this leads. Eventually it will lead to a world government, a world currency, probably digital, and a world leader with the title of anti-Christ. What a time to be alive!
I am not saying you are wrong in your argument.
However it is worth asking how the current build out in data centers will generate a positive ROI? Or indeed if it ever does?
It is not at all implausible that the US does not need (m)any more to be constructed and that stopping them from being built may end up saving people exposed via pension funds etc. from taking a larger loss when the data centers they might otherwise have indirectly financed go titsup.com or require the US government (and hence taxpayer) to bail out IT companies and financial institutions that are over exposed to data center losses
Funny how all of a sudden supporting mass surveillance infrastructure is patriotic.
Seems like a lot of AI $$$ is being pushed on influencers.
Have you ever considered writing books in the genre of popularized science? One of my favorite authors in that field (not counting the late Richard Feynman) is Nick Lane, who writes about cellular microbiology and evolution. I'll bet you'd love him. And you have a gift for this kind of thing yourself.
I believe this article was the first time I read the term “edge computing”. That’s my starting point, but your piece was clear and your arguments logical. I appreciate the concise introduction to the subject. I expect “Stop the Data Centers” to play loudly for the near term.
Foreign Billionaires like Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss has contributed nearly $14 million to four groups to stop American data centers. The groups are leftist environmental activists including the Indivisible Project, Americans for Financial Reform, Sierra Club, and Greenpeace USA. British climate activist Chris Hohn, and others are actively working to put in place bans on data centers in the US. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said, “It’s not organic or local….they don’t talk about climate change because the’ve realized it’s a losing argument….
You're parroting that day's allegations
https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/trio-of-republicans-call-for-fbi-investigation-into-data-center-opposition/
Funny how these things work
Wake Up, America: The Dumbing-Down Pipeline to Mandarin Mandates
Americans have been systematically dummied down by a perfect storm of soul-rotting comforts: pumpkin spice addictions at Starbucks, endless drive-thru laziness, online gambling apps draining wallets and willpower, and weed legalization turning ambition into couch-locked haze. While we zone out, the Chinese have infiltrated our universities, stolen tech through espionage, and embedded deep in our heart chords—hollowing out the next generation.
AI is the final arena for world dominance. Centralized data centers or edge distractions, the fight is existential. If MUSE and LUTHMANN aren’t screaming this from the rooftops to wake the f*** up, we’ll lose. Your kids will be speaking Mandarin before high school graduation. The salesmen of decline are wrong. Build, compete, or submit.
The strategic takeaway for America (and any serious player) is to do both aggressively: build out the centralized AI infrastructure needed to lead in model development and scale, while fully embracing edge computing for deployment, efficiency, and new use cases. Slowing down on either would be a mistake.
I love you because you never pull punches. Thank you ❤️