Local vs. Cloud GPUs: A Closer Look at Environmental Impact and Privacy
While cloud-based GPUs offer flexibility and convenience, they may not always be better from an environmental or privacy standpoint.
The idea that all GPUs should be based in the cloud is an interesting one, but let's consider the environmental and privacy angles.
Someone on Medium posited this question in response to my article about Framework computers.
Well, I think that cloud-based GPUs could offer a lot of flexibility and can reduce hardware clutter, but that's only part of the issue.
Firstly, from an environmental perspective, moving all GPU processing to the cloud isn't necessarily better from an environmental perspective. Data centers, while often efficient due to scale, still consume significant amounts of energy, and insane amounts of water. These days, this is a major concern.
So, actually, if you're located in a region where electricity is primarily generated from renewable sources, your local GPU might actually have a lower environmental impact compared to cloud services.
There's also an issue privacy-wise, because keeping sensitive computations local can offer an added layer of security.
When you send data to the cloud for processing, you're essentially transferring control over that data to another party—often a large corporation with its own set of privacy policies and potential vulnerabilities. Even with encryption and robust security measures in place, there's always a risk associated with entrusting your information to external servers.
It’s worth noting that the term "cloud" is just a clever piece of marketing lingo! Sure, it's a metaphor for an interconnected network of remote servers, but that's really just a fancy way of saying "I'm letting all my data run on someone else’s computer."
👋 Hi there!
I’m Odin Halvorson, a librarian 📚, independent scholar 📖, film fanatic 🎬, fiction author 📝, and tech enthusiast 💻. If you like my work and want to support me, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to my newsletter for as little as $2.50 a month! 📣
Support me in other ways:
Use this affiliate link to sign up for Libro.fm, the best audiobook platform around! 🎧 Want your own Ghost website? Check out MagicPages for the cheapest rates via my affiliate link (they even offer lifetime hosting plans!) 📈
Thanks for your support! 🙏