Sunday, October 6th from 18:00 to 20:00
Jetsesteenweg 388, 1081 Brussels https://titipi.org/wiki/index.php/HQ
Complicit Chips gathers a group of researchers, activists,
and artists to explore the complexities of high-density chips produced
by NVIDIA.
NVIDIA is an enterprise recently transformed from a mid-sized
producer of hard and software for accelerated computer graphics into a
self-proclaimed 'world leader' of artificial intelligence (AI)
computing. As of 2024, NIVIDA is valued at $2 trillion, surpassing
Amazon and Google to be dubbed the 'Taylor Swift tech for investors'.
Yet NVIDIA's chips for computing AI are resource-intensive offerings
that—alongside game graphics, forest monitoring and medical devices—now
include technologies used for policing and militant purposes. NVIDIA's
numerous contracts with military agencies such as DARPA and arms
companies such as Lockheed Martin are widely known. It's also clear that
the their chips are directly and indirectly linked to the development
of automated drones used in targeted killings and surveillance (in
conflict zones like Gaza, for instance). Simultaneously, NVIDIA's
hardware is now found in all Tesla vehicles, powers large language
models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, and exists in the chips of many smartphones.
We're looking to reckon with the way that the computing industry is
interwoven with both warfaring operations and everyday life. The fact
that NVIDIA produces software powered chips that we want for our screens
and games, but also are used in the Israel 1 supercomputers matters — a
lot. It's worth figuring out how our own actions are intertwined with
the issues at hand.
After two days of collaborative community research on the
nebulous world of software-operated hardware, we will informally share
what we found. Drinks and delicious Syrian vegetarian and vegan food
served!
For more details, visit this wiki page summarising the Complicit Chips research session: https://titipi.org/wiki/index.php/Complicit_Chips.