AI Policy Weekly #22
Big Tech spends billions, AlphaFold predicts molecular structures, and the AI and Tech Talent Task Force reports on AI hiring
Welcome to AI Policy Weekly, a newsletter from the Center for AI Policy. Each issue explores three important developments in AI, curated specifically for AI policy professionals.
Big Tech Will Invest $30 Billion in AI-Related Infrastructure
Meta announced plans to build an $800 million data center in Montgomery, Alabama and begin operating it in 2026.
That’s just the start of the massive investment announcements over the past ten days.
For instance, Google announced a $2 billion investment to build a new data center campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and an additional $1 billion of continued investment into Virginia data centers.
Further, Amazon will drop $9 billion over the next four years to expand its cloud services in Singapore.
The week’s biggest spender was Microsoft, which announced it will invest $1.7 billion and $2.2 billion for computing infrastructure in Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively. Plus another $3.3 billion in Wisconsin for similar purposes.
Computers need a power source. Accordingly, Microsoft signed a $10 billion deal with Brookfield Asset Management, who will supply up to 10.5 GW of renewable energy.
Importantly, these announcements represent just a portion of purchases being made by major tech companies.
In the first three months of 2024, Microsoft spent $11 billion on capital expenditures, and Google spent $12 billion. That’s about twice as much as in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023, when the companies spent $6.6 billion and $6.3 billion, respectively.
Not to be outdone, Amazon spent $14.9 billion on capital expenditures between January and March, although that’s approximately what it spent in Q1 2023.
Granted, not all that money is going into AI-related expenses.
But a substantial portion is probably going into sustaining the companies’ dominance in enterprise cloud services, where Google has 11% of the global market, Microsoft has 25%, and Amazon has 31%. In total, that’s 67% of a market that reported sales of $76 billion in Q1 2024, up 21% from Q1 2023.
As these companies continue to invest heavily in AI infrastructure, the full effects of these investments will unfold over the coming years, solidifying AI's growing importance and influence.
Google Releases AlphaFold 3
Google DeepMind, in collaboration with its sibling company Isomorphic Labs, has introduced AlphaFold 3, an AI system that “can predict the structure and interactions of all life’s molecules with unprecedented accuracy.”
Specifically, AlphaFold 3 takes in protein, DNA, and RNA sequences, along with chemical structures of small molecules, ions, and modified residues. It predicts detailed 3D models of how these components likely assemble into biomolecular complexes, including very large complexes, with high accuracy compared to previous methods.
Google has also launched the AlphaFold Server, a public platform where anyone on the internet can use the model for non-commercial research.
This latest release builds upon the success of its predecessor, AlphaFold 2, which Google DeepMind used in 2022 to predict structures for nearly all known proteins, compiling a database of 200 million entries. This feat would have taken approximately 1 billion years of PhD student time using traditional methods.
AlphaFold exemplifies how AI is rapidly accelerating innovation in fields like biology and drug discovery. However, this swift progress also means that society will face new benefits and risks at a faster pace.
To navigate this landscape of rapid change, the US government must prioritize modernization and cultivate deep technical AI expertise. Without these changes, the government will struggle to anticipate and effectively adapt to AI breakthroughs like AlphaFold.
AI and Tech Talent Task Force Submits Progress Report and Recommendations to President
The AI and Tech Talent Task Force recently submitted a progress report to President Biden, highlighting the National AI Talent Surge's achievements and recommendations for further action.
For example, over 150 hires have joined US agencies in AI and AI-enabling roles since the AI Executive Order on October 30th, 2023.
Over 94 more people are poised to enter the government this summer through tech talent programs like the Presidential Innovation Fellows, the U.S. Digital Corps (USDC), and the U.S. Digital Service (USDS).
Another notable government action supporting the AI Talent Surge is the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM's) authorization of Direct Hire Authority and excepted service appointment authorities for AI roles.
To further increase AI capacity, the report recommends 10 actions such as providing funding for AI hiring, improving the candidate experience on USAJOBS, formally establishing the USDC, and launching an AI scholarship program through the NSF.
News at CAIP
Business Insider quoted Jason Green-Lowe in a story: “There's a messy AI battle going on in DC — and there's no end in sight.”
Jason Green-Lowe published two new opinion pieces on our blog: “Should Big Tech Determine if AI Is Safe?” and “Who’s Actually Working on Safe AI at Microsoft?”
The monthly US Tech Policy Roundup from Tech Policy Press discussed our AI model legislation.
Jakub Kraus joined a virtual meeting of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at Harvard to discuss an AI governance paper he coauthored.
We’re hiring for two different roles: External Affairs Director, Government Relations Director.
Quote of the Week
As artists, we dedicate a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice in the pursuit of excellence. Not only in the expectation of achieving commercial success and critical acclaim, but also in the hope of creating a body of work and reputation that is our legacy.
So why am I here today?
I am here because my music, my dancing, my acting, the way my body moves in front of the camera, and the way that my voice resonates through a microphone is not by chance. They're essential reflections of who I am. My art is a canvas on which I paint my identity and the sustaining foundation of my livelihood. It is the very essence of my being.
Yet this is under threat. AI cannot replicate the depth of my life journey, yet those who control it hold the power to mimic the likeness of my art, replicate it, and falsely claim my identity and intellectual property.
—singer, songwriter, and dancer FKA Twigs testifying in a Senate Judiciary hearing on unauthorized digital replicas and the NO FAKES Act
This edition was authored by Jakub Kraus.
If you have feedback to share, a story to suggest, or wish to share music recommendations, please drop me a note at jakub@aipolicy.us.
—Jakub