AI and Genomics Breakthroughs Amid Geopolitical Tensions and Energy Challenges

Gloomy data centers, sunny solar power: The rapid growth of AI could strain US power grids, with data centers potentially consuming 8% of total electricity by 2030. However, this gloomy projection may be overstated, as renewable energy is rapidly expanding, with California already generating over 100% of its electricity from renewables at times.

• The data center boom and its energy demands will likely be a temporary issue, as energy mix, efficiency improvements, and evolving economics of both data centers and energy production are not fully accounted for in linear projections.
• Ultimately, the computational power of these data centers will be needed to solve climate change, despite some energy being used for less critical applications like generating Genmojis.

Genome architects: Scientists at Arc Institute have made breakthroughs in genomic editing, combining “bridge RNAs” for precise, large-scale DNA manipulation with Evo, a powerful AI model for reading and writing genetic sequences.

• Bridge RNAs act as molecular guides for enzymes to cut, paste, and rearrange entire “paragraphs” or “chapters” of DNA, going beyond the smaller edits possible with CRISPR.
• Evo, a 7-billion parameter AI trained on millions of bacterial genomes, can simultaneously work with DNA, RNA, and protein “languages,” enabling the design of large genomic sequences.
• This combination of tools could revolutionize the treatment of genetic diseases and the engineering of microbes for sustainable technologies.

Rising rivals in the AI chip market: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is concerned about potential threats to the company’s dominance in AI chips, as specialized competitors like Sohu emerge.

• Sohu’s ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) is designed to accelerate transformers (essentially LLMs) and claims to run high-end models 20 times faster than Nvidia’s top-tier H100 chip.
• Purpose-built chips like Sohu’s could erode Nvidia’s market share in specific AI applications, and their higher energy efficiency (15x more than Nvidia’s) could help mitigate the growing energy demands of AI data centers.

Geopolitical tensions in digital infrastructure: China is rapidly building its own undersea cable network, defying US sanctions and challenging America’s dominance in global communications.

• This “digital Silk Road” is creating a “one world, two systems” reality in global internet infrastructure.
• In a related development, OpenAI has announced it will block Chinese users’ access to its models, taking additional steps to prevent access through VPNs.

Broader implications: The rapid advancements in AI and genomics have the potential to transform various sectors and aspects of society, from healthcare and sustainable technologies to economic organization and job markets. However, these changes will likely be incremental, as technology is an integral part of society rather than a separate force. To ensure the smooth adoption of these technologies, it is essential to reframe discussions about social support measures like universal basic income, viewing them as catalysts for embracing new technologies rather than mere solutions to technology-induced problems.