• HeyJoe@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Yeah, what a crazy headline that AI was the thing mentioned and not 1 of the many other real life uses that offer greater solutions to us.

      • Sarah Valentine (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 months ago

        Maybe we’ll get lucky, and by the time the helium supply is restored, we’ve done away with the shitty not-really-AI craze, saving more helium for things of use to humanity.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Okay, but do you really think we’re going to prioritize the enormous loss-leading CSAM engines over lifesaving medical diagnostics machines?

      • wosat@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        My understanding is that MRIs don’t consume helium, in the same way air conditioning units don’t consume refrigerant, so helium is only needed for making new MRI machines.

        • fullsquare@awful.systems
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          2 months ago

          New ones, and not all if them, work this way, as in there’s tiny helium condensing unit. Older ones just let it go and require topping up every couple months (guessing by how often helium in NMR is topped up). Also every emergency shutdown invariably blows off all of helium inside

    • Korkki@lemmy.ml
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      2 months ago

      It’s not like its really used on AI inference, but it’s used in high grade semiconductor manufacturing. so helium shortage will hit anything with a modern semiconductors in it. So it’s not “whatever”.

      • bitjunkie@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Have you missed what all the fucking semiconductors are being bought up for the past year or so?

        • Korkki@lemmy.ml
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          2 months ago

          Yeah and they will keep begin bought by AI companies, even if the production sags. If the prices were unaffordable now they will be even more so if there is a real production choke. They can keep tossing few extra billions to keep the bubble going, you and I cannot compete with that.