Compute Governance
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Compute is a strategic resource; governing it shapes who builds AI. This sub-article expands Section 3.2 of Philosophy, Hardware & Software, and Recent Topics.
Why Compute Matters
- Frontier AI requires massive, concentrated compute.
- Compute is measurable, trackable, and harder to hide than models or data.
- This makes it a governance lever for safety and national strategy.
Instruments
- Export controls on advanced chips (e.g., NVIDIA restrictions to China).
- Cloud licensing and compute thresholds for training.
- Energy reporting and data-center siting rules.
- Compute registries to track large training runs.
Debates
- Who should have access to frontier compute?
- How do we govern compute without concentrating power further?
- Environmental and equity implications.
Why It Matters
Compute governance is central to the frontier-AI policy debate and to national-security discussions. See Frontier AI.
Sources
- US Executive Order on AI (2023).
- Compute governance research (e.g., OpenAI, Epoch).
Back to Hardware & Software · See Recent Topics.