Gen AI energy usage is worrying researchers
Benjamin Lee’s research at the University of Pennsylvania looks at sustainable computing and how to maximize efficiency with power constraints. He’s now turned his focus to the rise of generative AI.
As big tech companies look to increase capacity to experiment with their LLM models, they’re building more data centers and buying up graphics processing units — increasing their energy usage. Finding a sustainable path forward, Lee said, looks like “one of the defining challenges” of his career.
Real estate debt investment platform rebrands
The company formerly known as Yieldeasy is now Finresi, a portmanteau of “finance” and “residential.” The overall platform didn’t change — it allows people to invest in real estate debt — but now has a wider variety of offerings, from market size to loan size.
The company also recently brought on a new SVP and announced it raised a total of $1.3 million for its seed round.
➡️ Check out details about the new and improved Finresi here
News Incubator: What else to know today
• Both the technology and sustainability industries have a lot of terminology. Get some Earth Day clarity from senior reporter Holly Quinn’s green tech glossary. [Technical.ly]
• The Center for Diagnostics Discovery is a new biotech startup incubator in Horsham. Its first tenants are Avantia Labs, the Center for Forensic Science Research and Aspida Dx. [Philly Biz Journal]
• AI at Wharton is hosting its second conference, a two-day affair themed around AI and the Future of Work. Tickets for the May 22-23 event start at $195. [AI at Wharton/Technical.ly]
• Do you have a unique professional journey others could learn from? Apply to be profiled in our How I Got Here series. These article focus on professionals in the tech community who have an interesting story, are doing exceptional work or are passionate about supporting the next generation. [Google Forms/Technical.ly]
🗓️ On the Calendar
• Philly CHI is hosting its “Designed to Connect” networking event for UX professionals on April 24 at 6:30 p.m. [Register Here]
Sarah Huffman is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
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