• wampus@lemmy.ca
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    1 day ago

    The companies currently lining up for AI data centers are pretty well all American techno-fascists. Those techno fascist corporations will have zero issue using whatever datacenters offer the cheapest rates, and the easiest regulations – and as they’re all making moves to establish ‘freedom cities’ where there are no government regulations curtailing their activities, those are the most likely places these datacenters will eventually go. Even the existing batches of datacenters are largely moving to areas with government incentives for the construction.

    Without a healthy AI market/industry in Canada, with the benefits going to Canadians, the case for spending a shitload of resources on the infrastructure the Americans want isn’t really prudent. Especially as we can clearly see at the moment, how committed the Americans are to friendly trade relations.

  • Bakkoda@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    By that logic raping little girls, bombing hospitals and defrauding taxpayers are also options.

    Maybe don’t use that logic.

  • Auli@lemmy.ca
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    2 days ago

    So let them do it. None of these are going to bring anything into our economy once built. They are all american companies and there are very few jobs in a data centre.

    • Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      That last part is key. Data centres use up a huge amount of real estate and produce incredible strain on local infrastructure, but they produce an incredibly small amount of employment. It’s mostly just a few low-wage security guards. You could fit dozens of other businesses, employing thousands of people, into the space taken up by one data center.

  • CubitOom@infosec.pub
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    3 days ago

    Either we do it, or one of the dumbest people in the world who started a war he could not win is going to do it.

    I don’t think this is as good of an argument as he seems to think it is.

    Or to put it another way:

    If I don’t eat this day old roadkill, RFK Jr will

    • BurgerBaron@quokk.au
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      3 days ago

      And by “we” Doug means American corporations. The Meta data center getting built near me isn’t Canadian.

      • foggenbooty@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Exactly. One caller during a CBC phone in show was saying how he thought it was good for Canada to get into AI and build our skills so we’re more competitive.

        I was like… dude… this is Meta’s data centre, the only Canadians employed will be a handfull of DC techs and maintenance staff. ALL the real work is being done remotely. These are literally here just to burn fossel fules at an incredible rate. Thats it.

        “If we don’t build it someone else will” Great, let them then. The only people who benifit here are the construction and gas companies, then the environment suffers for however long they run. If someone wants to build and environmentally sustainable DC then cool, I’m all ears, but that’s never what’s being proposed. We’re in hyperscale mode here, the only thing that matters is speed and dropping a box down ontop of a natural gas reserve is as fast as it gets.

  • grte@lemmy.ca
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    2 days ago

    Trump is going to do what? Lean hard into a bubble before it pops? Great, let him do that. Let’s not compete with him on being as stupid as possible.

  • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
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    3 days ago

    Oh please speak publicly abt this Doug. Let’s see how such a real galvanizing issue works out for you.

  • Leviathan@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Doug, have you solved all the crises facing the people you represent? Is this really the most pressing business you can think of? New York city is making all you capitalist ass lickers look so obvious when you care more about data centers than poverty, housing, food security, education, healthcare, and, I guess very relevant to the current discussion, the environment.