Technology

You > the trends show that very few want to pay for this service.

Me > These companies have BILLIONS in revenue and millions of customers, and you’re saying very few want to pay

Me > ... but you’re making it sound no one wants it

You > … That’s all in your head, mate. I never said that nor did I imply it.

Pretty sure it's not all in my head.

The heat example was just one small example of things these large data centers (not just AI ones) can do to help lower costs, and they are a real thing that are being considered. It's not a solution to their power hungry needs, but it is a small step forward on how we can do things better.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cew4080092eo

1Energy said 100 gigawatt hours of energy would be generated through the network each year, equivalent to the heat needed for 20,000 homes.

Edit: Another that is in use: https://www.itbrew.com/stories/2024/07/17/inside-the-data-center-that-heats-up-a-hospital-in-vienna-austria

This system “allows us to cover between 50% and 70% of the hospital’s heating demand, and save up to 4,000 tons of CO2 per year,” he said, also noting that “there are virtually no heat losses” since “the connecting pipe is quite short.”