Vitalik Buterin: Open to "Anti-Data Center Populism," May Help Delay AGI Progress

Odaily News Vitalik Buterin posted on platform X, expressing relative openness to so-called "anti-data-center populism." He believes that, under the current technological trajectory, restricting the supply of industrial-grade hardware computing power might be one of the "most pragmatic and least dystopian" ways to delay the timeline for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Based on exchanges with relevant researchers, reducing the accessibility of large-scale computing infrastructure could help extend the AGI development cycle. If the social forces driving this process initially stem from opposition to data center expansion, "that might not be a bad thing."

However, he also emphasized that actions targeting only data centers located in densely populated areas would not be sufficient to substantially alter the AGI timeline. He estimates that, under a "static world model," achieving a 10x to 100x reduction in computing power is feasible. Compared to hypothetical scenarios assuming continuous advancements in future chip design, the reduction could even reach 100x to 10,000x, and a scale like that "would truly make a difference." Despite the complexity of the path, any significant adjustment requires a "first step."