Data Centers with Jonathan Koomey - #27

<p>In this episode I talk with Dr. Jonathan Koomey, the founder of Koomey Analytics and a former researcher &amp; scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The focus of this episode is on data centers.</p><p>We first start with Jon’s interest in the history of science which he studied at Harvard for his undergraduate. We go over Jon’s PhD thesis on why cost-effective energy efficiency measures may not be adopted in new office buildings. Then we get to data centers. Jonathan discusses the difficulties in obtaining the energy usage data for data centers, the tradeoff between innovation &amp; understanding energy use, limitations of AI in research, a phenomenological model named Koomey’s law that Jon developed, GPUs, software to develop more energy efficient AI models, energy efficient vs inefficient data centers, how companies decide where to build data centers &amp; much more. I hope you enjoy!</p><p> </p><p>Koomey Analytics Website: www.koomey.com</p><p> </p><p>PAPERS:</p><p>Jon’s PhD Thesis: <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268339858" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268339858</a></p><p>Estimating Bitcoin Electricity Use: A Beginner’s Guide: <a href="https://coincenter.org/estimating-bitcoin-electricity-use-a-beginners-guide" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://coincenter.org/estimating-bitcoin-electricity-use-a-beginners-guide</a></p><p>Implications of Historical Trends in the ElectricalEfficiency of Computing: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224128141</p><p>Characteristics of low-carbon data centres:  https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate1786</p><p>Separating fact from fiction in data center electricity forecasts: A guide for regulators: https://gridlab.org/portfolio-item/data-center-load-forecast-report</p><p>Electricity Demand Growth &amp; Data Centers: A Guide for the Perplexed: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/report/electricity-demand-growth-and-data-centers/</p><p><br></p><p>ARTICLES:</p><p>Data center energy use: truth versus myth: <a href="https://www2.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/data-center-energy-myth.html" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www2.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/data-center-energy-myth.html</a></p><p>Koomey’s Law: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koomey%27s_law" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koomey%27s_law</a></p><p>2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/32d6m0d1</p><p>To better understand AI’s growing energy use, analysts need a data revolution: https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(24)00347-7</p><p> </p><p>BOOKS:</p><p>The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman</p><p>Reinventing the Bazaar by John McMillan</p><p>Linked: The New Science of Networks by Albert-László Barabási</p><p> </p><p>TEXTBOOK:</p><p>Turning Numbers into Knowledge: Mastering the Art of Problem Solving by Jonathan Koomey</p><p><br></p><p>MUSIC INTRO/OUTRO:Music: massobeats - https://youtu.be/4uJKRDkwwXo</p><p> </p><p>VIDEO:</p><p>China &amp; AI Supply Chains: DeepSeek, Huawei, Transformers, Robotics, &amp; More with TP Huang: https://youtu.be/NAXOP5gt_5I</p><p><br></p><p>CONNECT: </p><p>LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-dolinay-frm-96a289106/ </p><p>GitHub: https://github.com/ad17171717 X:https://twitter.com/DolinayG </p><p>Odysee: https://odysee.com/@adriandolinay:0 </p><p> </p><p>PODCAST: </p><p>Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1765996824</p><p>Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0DC73S9SN</p><p>iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/202676097/ </p><p>Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60dPNJbDPaPw7ru8g5btxV</p><p> </p><p>|-Video Chapters-|</p><p>0:00 – Intro<br>1:39 – Jon’s interest in science and energy<br>2:37 – Energy issues in 2026<br>7:24 – Jon studying the History of Science at Harvard<br>10:19 – Jon’s research at UC Berkeley<br>11:38 – Jon’s PhD Th