News NVIDIA and Intel to Develop AI Infrastructure and Personal Computing Products

[DrMrLordX]

Solar arrays launched into space are designed to be pretty tolerant of impacts

Is that possible? We're talking tiny little rocks at relative velocities in the tens of thousands of kmh (or worse, paint chips at the same speeds).

 

[LightningZ71]

They mean cell design. Less expensive panels can completely fail or dramatically reduce output with fairly minor damage. The more exotic panels used in space based applications have a highly redundant cell layouts that can tolerate quite a lot of damage. They are, effectively grids of small panels, though the designs differ quite a bit from most terrestrial panels that prioritize cost over other factors.

 

[Doug S]

They mean cell design. Less expensive panels can completely fail or dramatically reduce output with fairly minor damage. The more exotic panels used in space based applications have a highly redundant cell layouts that can tolerate quite a lot of damage. They are, effectively grids of small panels, though the designs differ quite a bit from most terrestrial panels that prioritize cost over other factors.

Yes, plus if you're talking a square kilometer of solar as in this harebrained scheme if a micrometeorite punching through were to cause a massive 10 meter x 10 meter section to fail from that one tiny hole that's only 0.01% of its power production. It could tolerate 100 such impacts and still be at 99%. They wouldn't even need to design this as well as typical satellite solar arrays since the scale is so massive.

 

[LightningZ71]

The number of strikes per panel will increase as a square of the dimensions. Smaller arrays avoid some debris because those birds are often able to bump their orbit a bit to miss known objects and fields. A data center with multiple square kilometers of array won't be so nimble. Plus, there will always be spots with high criticality that will eventually get hit.

FOD is a real danger.

 

[Doug S]

The number of strikes per panel will increase as a square of the dimensions. Smaller arrays avoid some debris because those birds are often able to bump their orbit a bit to miss known objects and fields. A data center with multiple square kilometers of array won't be so nimble. Plus, there will always be spots with high criticality that will eventually get hit.

FOD is a real danger.

Your problem isn't the array getting hit, it is an impact running in one side of the "datacenter" and out the other, disabling a few million dollars worth of GPUs on the way. That's what you'll steer to avoid problems with. You won't worry about the massive panels because they're so big they can take a lot of hits without any meaningful loss of production.

But yeah the mass of this monstrosity would be a real problem for getting out of the way of known hazards. You might need to have the datacenter be independently maneuverable and connected by long cables to the arrays - superconducting, no doubt! Man, this boondoggle just gets more and more expensive!

 

[LightningZ71]

It's be simpler to park the arrays in a higher, less densely populated orbit, then microwave beam the power to the data center that's parked in a lower orbit for easier servicing. Granted, I don't know anyone that wants a massive directed energy weapon flying around the planet.

 

[jpiniero]

It's be simpler to park the arrays in a higher, less densely populated orbit, then microwave beam the power to the data center that's parked in a lower orbit for easier servicing. Granted, I don't know anyone that wants a massive directed energy weapon flying around the planet.

Project Goldeneye?

 

[Thunder 57]

It's be simpler to park the arrays in a higher, less densely populated orbit, then microwave beam the power to the data center that's parked in a lower orbit for easier servicing. Granted, I don't know anyone that wants a massive directed energy weapon flying around the planet.

Because that worked out so well in, Sim City 2000 was it? It actually did, most of the time.

 

[LightningZ71]

Details...

 

[Thunder 57]

Details...

Microwave Power Plant

The Microwave Power Plant is an advanced power plant in SimCity 2000 and SimCity 3000. In all its appearances, the plant takes on the form of a giant receiver dish and operates by receiving microwaves beamed down by orbiting satellites that collect solar energy in space. The Microwave Power...

simcity.fandom.com

 

[LightningZ71]

No, I meant "that's just the details" in the silly way. I played Sim City 2K extensively. Such giant BBQs...

 

[Hulk]

It's be simpler to park the arrays in a higher, less densely populated orbit, then microwave beam the power to the data center that's parked in a lower orbit for easier servicing. Granted, I don't know anyone that wants a massive directed energy weapon flying around the planet.

Doesn't take much more power/energy to get from a low orbit to a LA.

 

[coercitiv]

If Musk bought out the entire stock of these turbines, it may take several years to manufacture more turbines, to replenish the stock, for the next company to do use the same trick.

Sigh, here we go:

Doosan chair heads to US as Elon Musk confirms xAI's gas turbine purchase - The Korea Times

Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won’s visit to the United States this week is drawing attention, as it comes after Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed t...

www.koreatimes.co.kr

On Tuesday, Musk commented “True” on a social media post by SemiAnalysis that read, “BREAKING: Elon Musk's xAI has bought five additional 380 megawatts of natural gas turbines from South Korea's Doosan Enerbility.”

Two turbines in 2026, one in 2027 and another two in 2028. They won't stop, and I bet they're not the only manufacturer working around the clock to build more.

 

[NTMBK]

Boo, I was hoping for an update on Intel and Nvidia's collaboration, not Elon's stupidity

 

[Hulk]

Obviously we "the people" are driving this mad rush for more AI or they wouldn't be investing in it.

 

[DavidC1]

Obviously we "the people" are driving this mad rush for more AI or they wouldn't be investing in it.

I read every query to ChatGPT is a loss for OpenAI, unless it's Premium, then they are making small amount. Because every query fires up the GPU. Nvidia is much at fault for problems as OpenAI is. They make absolute boatloads of money. Who knew they would be #1 worth 10 years ago?

But every search engine, brave, duckduckgo, bing, or google all have AI auto query at the top. And every query fires up more GPUs. And of course people love the memes and AI animation of their beloved pets. But that's not really a sound business decision in any way, because if people were charged for it, the usage would drop maybe 90%.*

I'm not sure at this point whether it's intentional or accidental anymore. Were they surprised at the success of ChatGPT and they all rushed into the bandwagon and now they realize it's falling short of expectations(especially GPT5) but they have to keep up the facade because it's in the nature of people not to admit their mistakes, and their mistakes are now mount everest high?

*Actually we are paying for in loss of privacy and having our data sold to 3rd parties but let's talk about the simple stuff first.

 

[jpiniero]

Obviously we "the people" are driving this mad rush for more AI or they wouldn't be investing in it.

This might be hard to explain, but it's not people. It's "Investors" driving it. The more spending, the more they excite said "Investors".

Until it all comes crashing down.

Like if Deepseek or something else came along that made things more efficient, that would ruin the circlejerk.

 

[Joe NYC]

Boo, I was hoping for an update on Intel and Nvidia's collaboration, not Elon's stupidity

The US is literally about to hit the wall in power generation. There are only two options:
- give up on AI
- generate more power.

Musk was just one of the first people to raise the alarm on lack of power capacity in the US and jumped on various alternative solutions to add power generating capacity quickly.

There would be no reason for NVidia to collaborate with Intel if there is no power capacity to power the datacenters, where the combined Intel-NVidia chips would go.

 

[jpiniero]

There would be no reason for NVidia to collaborate with Intel

stonks

 

[Hulk]

Gemini told me that AI uses as much electricity as every home in NJ and NY combined. Plus the additional amount required to generate this answer.

 

[Hulk]

This might be hard to explain, but it's not people. It's "Investors" driving it. The more spending, the more they excite said "Investors".

Until it all comes crashing down.

Like if Deepseek or something else came along that made things more efficient, that would ruin the circlejerk.

It's a circle. People>Investors>Manufacturing and round and round it goes. The investors do try to push ventures they think they can make money on so of course it's not that simple.

AI is unique. It's different from television, or the automobile, the internet, or the cell phone. This thing is scarily emulating consciousness. It's kind of like the Force in that it as a good and an evil side.

Honestly the closest analogy I can think of for AI was the atomic bomb. It has tremendous possibity for good, like possibly fusion, and bad. Like it or not, like the splitting of the atom, AI is here to stay.

 

[jpiniero]

Gemini told me that AI uses as much electricity as every home in NJ and NY combined. Plus the additional amount required to generate this answer.

And all to generate Dank Memes.

 

[DrMrLordX]

- generate more power.