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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…
