多年來,評論人士將數(shù)據(jù)比作世界上最重要的商品之一:石油。就像20世紀(jì)巨大的石油儲備賦予石油國家和化石燃料公司財富和權(quán)力一樣,擁有大量數(shù)據(jù)的國家和公司可以在21世紀(jì)利用這一資源。
隨著人工智能的興起,這一論點變得更加重要:美國和中國等大國可以利用海量數(shù)據(jù)訓(xùn)練人工智能模型,而較小的經(jīng)濟(jì)體,由于手頭的數(shù)據(jù)較少,根本無法跟上。
但新加坡數(shù)字發(fā)展和信息部長楊莉明周二在《財富》人工智能頭腦風(fēng)暴大會上表示,在討論各國如何使用數(shù)據(jù)時,將數(shù)據(jù)比作石油是不恰當(dāng)?shù)摹?/p>
她說,石油是一種有限的資源,一旦開采和使用就會消失,而數(shù)據(jù)則不同,可以多次“重組”。“實際上,當(dāng)數(shù)據(jù)在許多不同的情境中被重復(fù)使用時,它的用處更大?!?/p>
新加坡在2019年采取了一項人工智能戰(zhàn)略,如今正試圖利用其作為貿(mào)易和旅游中心的現(xiàn)有優(yōu)勢來促進(jìn)新技術(shù)的發(fā)展。“我們并不是要成為人工智能超級大國,也無需這樣做?!睏罾蛎髟谧罱黄P(guān)于該國人工智能計劃的專題文章中告訴《財富》雜志。
周二,楊莉明表示,新加坡充滿活力的經(jīng)濟(jì)是該國獲取所需數(shù)據(jù)的途徑之一。她解釋說:“如果你考慮到我們國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值的規(guī)模,并將其作為新加坡正在進(jìn)行的活動的廣度和深度的指標(biāo)(每一項活動都會生成一個數(shù)據(jù)點),那么數(shù)據(jù)可能并不像我們想象的那么少?!?/p>
‘熱帶’數(shù)據(jù)中心
盡管如此,這位新加坡部長還是指出了該國人工智能抱負(fù)面臨的一些潛在挑戰(zhàn)。她說:“在任何新領(lǐng)域,人才儲備總是一個令人擔(dān)憂的問題:不夠廣泛,也不夠深入?!?/p>
但她反駁了有關(guān)新加坡短時期暫停數(shù)據(jù)中心建設(shè)阻礙了該國作為人工智能中心吸引投資的說法。
2019年,出于對土地使用和電力消耗的擔(dān)憂,新加坡政府暫停了對新數(shù)據(jù)中心的審批。運營商紛紛轉(zhuǎn)向其他國家,包括鄰國馬來西亞,后者目前正吸引來自微軟(Microsoft)和谷歌(Google)等大型科技公司數(shù)十億美元的投資。
但楊莉明認(rèn)為,擁有70個數(shù)據(jù)中心的新加坡?lián)碛惺澜缟稀白蠲芗臄?shù)據(jù)中心容量”。
她說:“如果你看看相對于國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值規(guī)模我們的數(shù)據(jù)中心容量,并且將其與日本或中國進(jìn)行比較,就會發(fā)現(xiàn)實際上我們的數(shù)據(jù)中心容量要大得多。”
雖然新加坡對建設(shè)更多的數(shù)據(jù)中心持開放態(tài)度,但“問題是我們?nèi)绾卧趯崿F(xiàn)凈零排放承諾的同時做到這一點。”她問道。
她說,答案是“熱帶(數(shù)據(jù)中心)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。如果你在熱帶氣候下運行數(shù)據(jù)中心,是否需要在如此低的溫度下運行?還是說,實際上溫度升高一度也可以實現(xiàn)?”(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:中慧言-王芳
多年來,評論人士將數(shù)據(jù)比作世界上最重要的商品之一:石油。就像20世紀(jì)巨大的石油儲備賦予石油國家和化石燃料公司財富和權(quán)力一樣,擁有大量數(shù)據(jù)的國家和公司可以在21世紀(jì)利用這一資源。
隨著人工智能的興起,這一論點變得更加重要:美國和中國等大國可以利用海量數(shù)據(jù)訓(xùn)練人工智能模型,而較小的經(jīng)濟(jì)體,由于手頭的數(shù)據(jù)較少,根本無法跟上。
但新加坡數(shù)字發(fā)展和信息部長楊莉明周二在《財富》人工智能頭腦風(fēng)暴大會上表示,在討論各國如何使用數(shù)據(jù)時,將數(shù)據(jù)比作石油是不恰當(dāng)?shù)摹?/p>
她說,石油是一種有限的資源,一旦開采和使用就會消失,而數(shù)據(jù)則不同,可以多次“重組”?!皩嶋H上,當(dāng)數(shù)據(jù)在許多不同的情境中被重復(fù)使用時,它的用處更大?!?/p>
新加坡在2019年采取了一項人工智能戰(zhàn)略,如今正試圖利用其作為貿(mào)易和旅游中心的現(xiàn)有優(yōu)勢來促進(jìn)新技術(shù)的發(fā)展?!拔覀儾⒉皇且蔀槿斯ぶ悄艹壌髧?,也無需這樣做。”楊莉明在最近一篇關(guān)于該國人工智能計劃的專題文章中告訴《財富》雜志。
周二,楊莉明表示,新加坡充滿活力的經(jīng)濟(jì)是該國獲取所需數(shù)據(jù)的途徑之一。她解釋說:“如果你考慮到我們國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值的規(guī)模,并將其作為新加坡正在進(jìn)行的活動的廣度和深度的指標(biāo)(每一項活動都會生成一個數(shù)據(jù)點),那么數(shù)據(jù)可能并不像我們想象的那么少?!?/p>
‘熱帶’數(shù)據(jù)中心
盡管如此,這位新加坡部長還是指出了該國人工智能抱負(fù)面臨的一些潛在挑戰(zhàn)。她說:“在任何新領(lǐng)域,人才儲備總是一個令人擔(dān)憂的問題:不夠廣泛,也不夠深入?!?/p>
但她反駁了有關(guān)新加坡短時期暫停數(shù)據(jù)中心建設(shè)阻礙了該國作為人工智能中心吸引投資的說法。
2019年,出于對土地使用和電力消耗的擔(dān)憂,新加坡政府暫停了對新數(shù)據(jù)中心的審批。運營商紛紛轉(zhuǎn)向其他國家,包括鄰國馬來西亞,后者目前正吸引來自微軟(Microsoft)和谷歌(Google)等大型科技公司數(shù)十億美元的投資。
但楊莉明認(rèn)為,擁有70個數(shù)據(jù)中心的新加坡?lián)碛惺澜缟稀白蠲芗臄?shù)據(jù)中心容量”。
她說:“如果你看看相對于國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值規(guī)模我們的數(shù)據(jù)中心容量,并且將其與日本或中國進(jìn)行比較,就會發(fā)現(xiàn)實際上我們的數(shù)據(jù)中心容量要大得多?!?/p>
雖然新加坡對建設(shè)更多的數(shù)據(jù)中心持開放態(tài)度,但“問題是我們?nèi)绾卧趯崿F(xiàn)凈零排放承諾的同時做到這一點。”她問道。
她說,答案是“熱帶(數(shù)據(jù)中心)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。如果你在熱帶氣候下運行數(shù)據(jù)中心,是否需要在如此低的溫度下運行?還是說,實際上溫度升高一度也可以實現(xiàn)?”(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:中慧言-王芳
For years, commentators compared data to one of the world’s most important commodities: oil. Much like how massive oil reserves conferred wealth and power on the world’s petrostates and fossil-fuel firms in the 20th century, countries and companies with lots of data could leverage that resource in the 21st century.
The argument is taking on greater relevance with the rise of AI: Large countries like the U.S. and China can train their AI models on massive amounts of data, while smaller economies, with less data on hand, just can’t keep up.
But Josephine Teo, Singapore’s minister for digital development and information, argued at the Fortune Brainstorm AI Singapore conference on Tuesday that oil is the wrong comparison to make when talking about how countries use data.
Unlike oil—a finite resource that goes away once extracted and used—data can be “recombined” many times over, she said. “Data is actually more useful when it is reused in many different contexts.”
Singapore adopted an AI strategy in 2019, and is now trying to leverage its existing strengths as a trade and travel hub to bolster its development of the new technology. “We aren’t trying to be an AI superpower. We don’t need to be,” Teo told Fortune in a recent feature on the country’s plans for AI.
On Tuesday, Teo suggested the country’s vibrant economy is one way Singapore can get access to the data it needs. “If you consider the size of our GDP, and use it as an indication of the breadth and depth of activities that are taking place in Singapore, and that every single one of those activities generates a data point—then maybe the data is not as small as we think it is,” she explained.
‘Tropical’ data centers
Still, the Singaporean minister noted some potential challenges to the country’s AI hopes. “In any new field, the pool of talent is always going to be a concern,” she said. “It’s not broad enough, it’s not deep enough.”
But she pushed back against suggestions that Singapore’s brief moratorium on data centers had hindered the country’s attractiveness as an AI hub.
In 2019, the Singaporean government briefly paused approvals of new data centers, owing to concerns about land use and power consumption. Operators fled elsewhere, including to neighboring Malaysia, which is now attracting billions of dollars in investment from Big Tech companies like Microsoft and Google.
But Teo argued Singapore, with 70 data centers, has some of the world’s “densest data center capacity.”
“If you look at our data center capacity relative to the size of our GDP, and if you compare it to, say, Japan or if you compare it to China, actually we have way more,” she claimed.
While Singapore is open to having more data centers, “the question is how do we do it whilst also being able to fulfill our commitments to the net-zero pathway,” she asked.
The answer is “tropical [data center] standards,” she said. “If you’re operating the data center in a tropical climate, do you need to operate it at a temperature that is so low? Or [is it that] actually with one degree higher, you’re okay?”