Issue 2257 - Friday 24 January, 2025

Hello, just a note that there will be no Sizzle on Monday as it is a public holiday. Enjoy your long weekend!

In Today’s Issue

The News

Hey ChatGPT, how long until the planet boils?

Another abandoned nuclear power plant project might be revived thanks to the soaring energy demands of big tech, specifically their AI operations (TechCrunch). The ravenous resource demands of training and running AI models has led to companies like Google and Microsoft backing new nuclear power programs (WSJ, $) and abandoning previous environmental commitments (Fortune) so it’s possible for you to generate an image of Mario with large breasts. 

I’m being a bit glib — maybe not everyone uses AI like me — but here’s the crux of this issue: Everyone agrees that tech’s energy demands have ballooned since the generative AI boom and this use is expected to increase dramatically (US Department of Energy), although the companies involved are making it harder to understand their own operations (The Register). There are figures floating out that quantify it on an individual level, like each ChatGPT prompt supposedly using half a litre of water (SMH, $). It’s hard to put much weight on estimates beyond using them to broadly illustrate how AI can be orders of magnitude more resource-intensive compared with a traditional Google search. Advancements in light-weight models like the new DeepSeek-R1 (Nature) mean that we shouldn’t just assume large language models are inherently and unchangeably unsustainable. It’s just that right now, the trajectory of companies’ resource use seems like something that needs to change.

Undersea cables hurt by idiots, not spies, sometimes sharks

Undersea cables that have been severed or damaged by ships in the past few months were not the target of intentional espionage by Russia but rather dumbass crews who didn’t know what they were doing, American and European intelligence agencies have decided (Washington Post, $). There are about 600 of these garden hose-sized cables globally and they are responsible for carrying most internet traffic (SMH, $). This is a problem because they keep getting damaged by ships — like how recently Taiwan accused a Chinese-linked shipping vessel of intentionally taking out one of the cables recently too (Reuters) — sometimes… sharks (Slate).

Anyway, it’s bonkers to me that pretty much everything we do relies on a surprisingly small number of cables which seem pretty vulnerable. Apropos of nothing: apparently Chinese engineers are patenting cheaper and easier ways to cut these cables (Newsweek) lol.

Tech company gives public servants gifts, get big contracts

Well, look’ee here: Salesforce — the company that you probably only know what they do if your job means you need to — has yet again gotten another contract with an Australian government agency after giving them free stuff. Previously, the SaaS company got $126m NDIA contract (InnovationAus, $) and $283m from the Department of Health and Aged Care (Saturday Paper, $) while showering government staff with gifts like fancy dinners, golf trips and VIP invites to events. Now, it turns out government-run credit agency Export Finance Australia awarded Salesforce a $397,537 contract after getting free tickets to glam Salesforce events, avoiding a requirement to put it out to tender because it just didn’t reach the $400,000 threshold (InnovationAus, $). Who cares? Well, always interesting to find out the details of how governments and big tech companies interact behind the scenes.

Why did a 18 year old man decide to attack a Telstra phone box?

An 18-year-old Queensland man was given a six month good behaviour bond for striking a Telstra phone box “several times with his scooter”. The fella, who told Gladstone Magistrate’s Court that he had just been verbally fighting with someone, reportedly explained his rationale to police (The Courier-Mail, $):

To his credit, apparently the bloke only started attacking the tree after he asked a “witness” if he could hit a nearby tree and was asked not to, the court heard. If anything could take a beating, it’s those Telstra boxes.

Bargains

The End

😎 The Sizzle is written by Cam Wilson and emailed every weekday afternoon. It was created by Anthony “decryption” Agius.

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The Sizzle is created on Gadigal land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.