Hyperscale

Hyperscale is computing built to grow across enormous numbers of servers, data centres, cables, cooling systems and power supplies, so millions of people can ask for something at once and get it before they have finished sighing. The interface makes this feel weightless: you type a prompt on the sofa while, somewhere else, an industrial building gets on with the less poetic business of electricity, heat and water. The book follows a proposed hyperscale facility in Farmington, Minnesota, where residents questioned a contract permitting water demand greater than the city’s ordinary daily use. That does not mean every query needs a candlelit apology. It means the magic has plumbing. Good judgement is admiring the machine and still asking who is paying for the cold water.