Can beautifying data centres save them from backlash?

AI needs vast data centres to power it but communities around the world are increasingly pushing back against the large, ugly “sheds” appearing on their doorsteps.

In the US, one proposed Utah data centre is set to be larger than Manhattan. Meanwhile, architects in the UK are looking at ways to make data centres more attractive, functional and useful to local communities. So Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott ask whether better design, waste-heat reuse and local benefits could make AI infrastructure more acceptable.

Plus, Danny speaks to Jason Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks, who explains how AI and biology are coming together through autonomous “cloud labs” that could transform scientific discovery.

Would you hate data centres less if they were more beautiful? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.uk

Watch on YouTube

Producer: Ethan Sills, Shabnam Grewal & Marnie Duke.

Executive Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Video Producer: Bronwen Latham

Image: Getty

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(476)

BONUS: The hidden technology behind Wimbledon

This episode of The Times Tech Podcast is in paid partnership with IBM.Wimbledon may be one of the most familiar events in British sport, but behind the tennis is a vast technology operation – from li...

4 Jul 13min

PayPal’s Max Levchin on Donald Trump, Elon Musk and mega-IPOs

Affirm CEO, PayPal co-founder, original member of the 'PayPal Mafia' Max Levchin joins Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott to talk about moral moneylending, Elon Musk, mega-IPOs and why there are so many...

2 Jul 45min

Why Europe fears America’s AI power

Who really controls the future of AI? A rare warning from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance says powerful AI models capable of devastating cyberattacks on governments and businesses could be just mo...

25 Jun 39min

Keir Starmer vs Big Tech - the UK's under-16s social media ban

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a ban on social media for under-16s, due to come into effect next year. But questions remain over how it will be enforced, and whether it will actually work. ...

18 Jun 34min

Anthropic's warning: AI will start building itself

Anthropic has warned about the next phase of 'recursive AI', where agents could become capable enough to build and train models themselves without human intervention. The idea is that “self-improving”...

11 Jun 37min

BONUS: How to turn AI pilots into real business value

This episode of The Times Tech Podcast is sponsored by KPMG.Businesses are spending heavily on AI, but is it actually changing how they work? Katie Prescott is joined by Paul Henninger, UK Head of Tec...

11 Jun 22min

Move over Harvey Specter! The rise of AI lawyers

A strange new experiment where AI agents run their own societies free from humans has raised questions about whether we can really trust these bots to act on our behalf. In the study by Emergence AI, ...

4 Jun 47min