Given the push to build AI at ever increasing scale and the risks, this timely report from the AI Now Institute looks at the material costs and why concentration in compute is driving a race to the bottom.
As the report explains, computational power, is a core dependency in building large-scale AI. Amid a steadily growing push to build AI at larger and larger scale, key points in the supply chain are monopolised by a handful of organisations. As the report shows, it influences the behaviour of even the biggest AI companies as they encounter the effects of compute scarcity. A recent report from Andreessen Horowitz describes compute as “a predominant factor driving the industry today,” noting that companies have spent “more than 80% of their total capital on compute resources.”
Understanding the material underpinnings of AI is an important point for examining its effects on the broader public. This report provides a useful guide for understanding computational power. Access the Report here.
