🌎 Microsoft’s carbon footprint

Microsoft’s AI Energy Use Prompts Questions About Climate Impact

Microsoft recently signaled its plans to lease an off-grid, gas-powered data center with a letter of intent. This comes as a bill to regulate data centers failed to pass the last legislative session, and raises questions about their environmental impact. Microsoft told KUOW this move “represents our investment in scaling AI compute capacity.” [KUOW]

• Microsoft’s Carbon Footprint: The Redmond-based company plans to use up to 1.35 gigawatts GW of AI computing capacity at the massive data center Monarch Compute Campus, owned by cloud company Nscale, in West Virginia. For comparison, one gigawatt is equal to the power of 100 million LED lightbulbs. An analysis by the renewable energy research firm Cleanview estimates the company’s project could increase Microsoft’s data center emissions by 40%. Microsoft also told KUOW, “We continue to pursue decarbonization at all levels." However, carbon sequestration is viewed as a “dubious” solution by many climate scientists. [Cleanview]
• Data Center Regulation: Data centers are on track to be the largest electricity users in the Pacific Northwest and are responsible for electricity rate hikes for residents near their locations throughout the country. WA’s HB 2515 would have put protections in place for utility customers, the power grid, and the environment by requiring data centers to comply with clean energy requirements and shut off power at times of peak demand on the grid. But big tech companies, including Microsoft and Amazon, fought the legislation. [KUOW]
• Part Of A Larger Pattern: The West Virginia data center Microsoft plans to lease from is one of 46 off-grid data centers planned around the country. Being off-grid allows these companies to circumvent electrical grid limitations and local opposition. Data centers provide the computing power for a lot of the internet-connected technology people use, but this increasing trend puts further strain on the tension between Microsoft’s stated climate impact goals and the company’s AI goals. [Cleanview]

🛴 AI Coming to Lime Scooters: By the end of this summer, Seattle’s 7,000 Lime scooters will all have a front-mounted camera and a trained AI model installed. The newly developed “Lime Vision” system is being launched in Seattle and is meant to detect whether a rider is in the road, a bike lane, or on the sidewalk. The scooter will emit an audible alert and send a notification to the Lime app, telling the rider to move off the sidewalk. [GeekWire]

🏘️ First Tiny House Village for Families: This 40-unit community is located on the property of Church by the Side of the Road (CBSR) in Tukwila and will offer hygiene facilities and social services. Typically, tiny house villages are only home to adults, making this one the first in the region to house families. [South Seattle Emerald]

🎤 PNW’s Underground Rap Scene: The Pacific Northwest is known for grunge and indie pop, but as local music journalist Martin Douglas writes, it’s often overlooked for its flourishing underground rap scene. Martin traces the musical family tree from the music and art collective Black Constellation through to today’s up-and-comers. Hear Martin discuss in-depth on today’s podcast 🎧. [Bandcamp Daily]