Vitalik Buterin Discusses Impact of Limiting Industrial Hardware on AGI Development

Vitalik Buterin recently shared his views on X platform regarding the concept of 'anti-data-center populism.' According to Odaily, Buterin expressed openness to the idea, suggesting that restricting the supply of industrial-grade hardware could be a practical and non-dystopian approach to delaying the timeline for artificial general intelligence (AGI). He noted that discussions with researchers indicate that reducing the availability of large-scale computing infrastructure might extend AGI's development period. If the societal push against data center expansion initially stems from opposition to such growth, Buterin believes it could be a viable path. However, Buterin emphasized that actions targeting data centers in densely populated areas alone would not significantly alter the AGI timeline. He estimated that under a 'static world model,' achieving a 10 to 100-fold reduction in computing power is feasible. Compared to future scenarios with continuous advancements in chip design, the reduction could even reach 100 to 10,000 times, which would have a substantial impact. Despite the complexity of the path, Buterin acknowledged that any major adjustment requires a 'first step.'