As discussions over AI regulation continue Del Complex claims its floating computing barges will allow developers to bypass stifling AI laws.
The Biden administration released its AI Executive Order yesterday signaling the US government’s intent to tighten the reins on AI development. But not everyone thinks that AI regulations are a good idea.
Google Brain co-founder Andrew Ng reportedly said that Big Tech companies are lying about the risks of AI wiping out humanity because they want to dominate the market.
A company called Del Complex claims it has the solution for AI developers who want to avoid what it terms the “decelerationist” approach to AI development.
There is so little information available on Del Complex, so it’s important to add a disclaimer before elaborating on the project. I’m not sure if this is an extremely elaborate joke or a genuine project that Elon Musk will eventually claim he co-founded.
Deep sea computing platforms
Del Complex says it will deploy its BlueSea Frontier Compute Cluster (BSFCC) into international waters. There the platform will gain sovereign nation-state status under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Montevideo Convention.
Announcing: BlueSea Frontier Compute Cluster
The Biden admin’s AI Executive Order and the EU’s AI Act aim to centralize control under guise of safety
The solution is at sea.
BSFCC’s are not just barge based compute platforms, but sovereign nation stateshttps://t.co/S4iPksdFPl pic.twitter.com/rvku2Aq1aQ
— Del Complex (@DelComplex) October 30, 2023
The company says each BSFCC will offer the computing power of over 10,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs to AI developers.
Its blog post announcing the project says, “Free from regulatory oversight, The BlueSea Frontier Compute Clusters offer unparalleled opportunities to train and deploy the next generation of large scale AI models.”
The company says that its BSFCC is “ready to set sail” and will deliver “a groundbreaking venture in international waters, melding cutting-edge technology with unparalleled autonomy.”
How will the platform defend itself from overeager AI regulators or pirates wanting its hoard of Nvidia GPUs? It says it employs “Kinetic risk mitigation with dedicated security forces.”
Is this a joke or the future?
The more you read about this and other projects on the Del Complex website the more you have to ask yourself, “Is this for real, or are they having a laugh?”
The website looks slick, the content is well written, and they have a cooling maintenance document on the website of the mysterious security company they employ.
But there’s zero history about the company online, the X account is only a few months old, and the telephone numbers all have a recorded message saying they can’t help you at the moment.
I even tried calling the company’s “subterranean facility for advanced research and development located beneath Mt. Augusta in Nevada.”
And then you see that the website has a page where they’re selling “surplus stock”. The $1,4M robot arm was already snapped up by someone but the $85 unisex windbreakers are available. Hmm…
But what if it’s not a joke? If you were unconvinced by the AI doomsayers and felt that unfettered AI development could solve the world’s problems, then the BSFCC would be an appealing prospect.
Is this some incredibly elaborate, early April Fool’s joke? Is it a very complicated e-commerce marketing stunt? Or will Del Complex really enable unrestricted AI development on the high seas, for better or for worse?
Del Complex describes itself as an “alternate reality corporation”. Maybe that’s just a fancy way of saying that it doesn’t exist. But what if it did?
