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GopherGal

(2,761 posts)

33. Reminds me of the Minnesota Supercomputer Center

Thu Dec 4, 2025, 02:28 PM

Dec 4

Many many years ago I toured this building at the University of Minnesota. They mentioned that the building did not have central heating, only air conditioning. Even in the Minneapolis winters, the heat generated by the computers was enough to heat the building.

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Bet ya Trump will make this illegal: it makes too much sense [View all] applegrove Dec 4 OP

Interesting but I doubt it will happen here only because it sounds expensive newdeal2 Dec 4 #1

If it adds a nickel of cost to the opium dreams of AI developers, it will never happen. hatrack Dec 4 #2

Excellent true words! chouchou Dec 4 #19

And if it additionally drmeow Dec 4 #40

NIMBY modrepub Dec 4 #8

Unless they charge users for the heat and/or energy Auggie Dec 4 #13

Here in the AZ borderlands, where people face drilling deeper well to reach lowering, disappearing water table Attilatheblond Dec 4 #22

Finland has a centralized network of underground pipes to distribute steam (geothermal).... pat_k Dec 4 #41

Finland's underlying granite is home to lots of infrastructure. thought crime Dec 4 #46

Yeah, it makes way too much sense. sop Dec 4 #3

Never work in the USA - it it's not making a profit it is dead on arrival. walkingman Dec 4 #4

Yeah. This would save on heating costs. Trump only applegrove Dec 4 #6

BINGO! OldBaldy1701E Dec 4 #9

What about all the data centers in the South? Ursus Rex Dec 4 #5

An argument for moving data centers to Alaska or more densely populated cold places in the "snowbelt." pat_k Dec 4 #42

This is a nice thing OnionPatch Dec 4 #7

Please explain how that helps the fossil fuel industry. JohnnyRingo Dec 4 #10

Are you talking to me? It doesn't help the fossil fuel industry. applegrove Dec 4 #11

I was being sarcastic. JohnnyRingo Dec 4 #12

Sorry. I get it now. I didn't think you were a troll applegrove Dec 4 #14

I was being sarcastic again. JohnnyRingo Dec 4 #17

LOL! applegrove Dec 4 #18

Well, I for one knew where you were coming from in the first few words. Cheers! erronis Dec 4 #16

It takes huge amounts of Electricity popsdenver Dec 4 #37

Of course it helps the fossil fuel industry... NewLarry Dec 4 #26

Rec jfz9580m Dec 4 #45

And when they finally figure out the data centers are worthless and shut them down? erronis Dec 4 #15

Putting them underground also helps with noise and space constraints IronLionZion Dec 4 #20

Thank You Or Posting This! Rendville Dec 4 #21

Trump would have his peons bomb the place. twodogsbarking Dec 4 #23

Finland and Iceland are already positioned to take advantage of this kind of technology... Ol Janx Spirit Dec 4 #24

Yeah, he'll call them underground wind mills or some such shit. RedWhiteBlueIsRacist Dec 4 #25

I don't know. Sounds kind of "woke" to me. If it's not coal, Trump isn't interested. Vinca Dec 4 #27

Acushnet Process Company, which started making Titleist golf balls, used to heat the building in the winter from...... usaf-vet Dec 4 #28

Yes computers were huge back in the day. applegrove Dec 4 #29

WWBOD? - What Would Big Oil Do? JoseBalow Dec 4 #30

Good one! calimary Friday #47

Inefficient use of a wasteful process's leftovers. marble falls Dec 4 #31

Inefficient use is better than no use at all. Shipwack Dec 4 #34

Trump doesn't have to make this illegal. In most of the country we can't do this at all. jmowreader Dec 4 #32

Reminds me of the Minnesota Supercomputer Center GopherGal Dec 4 #33

Fa geta bout it! This is only possible when you have government oversight and an educated populace. flashman13 Dec 4 #35

Silly me popsdenver Dec 4 #36

Considering that the U.S. is 29 times the size of Finland, I'm pretty sure this is a problem of scale, and not ancianita Dec 4 #38

If would probably. work in large cities if there were still large tenements. LiberalArkie Dec 4 #39

District heat networks? In America you pay to have your data-center heat delivered in a truck. paulkienitz Dec 4 #43

Given the places it would make sense, seems to me it's a great "blue state" (subset: snowbelt) initiative. pat_k Dec 4 #44