Computing power has an energy, material, and strategic cost, whether you own the hardware or rent resources online. Discover how to rent, create, and align your digital use more responsibly.
AI mention: translated from French to English and spoken using AI.
There’s a topic that keeps coming up more and more whenever we talk about digital technology, artificial intelligence, content creation, and online tools: computing power—and the responsible consumption that comes with it.
We live in a time when we can produce text, audio, video, images, and music—sometimes in just a few minutes—thanks to services accessible on the Internet. It’s fascinating, and at the same time it raises a simple question: what does it really “cost” in energy, and how do we choose to use that power?
In this article, I share a practical reflection at the crossroads of computing, energy, personal development, and conscious use, with one simple idea: use available power with intention instead of consuming it by reflex.
Computing power: what are we really talking about?
When we talk about computing power, we often think of hardware: CPU, GPU, RAM, a high-end smartphone, a modern computer…
But at its core, computing power is first and foremost a physical reality: it starts with energy—often electricity—which makes it possible to do work, and therefore obtain a result.
In physics, we talk about work and power: it’s not so much what energy is, but what it allows us to do.
And in computing, it’s the same:
- Without hardware, even with the best algorithms and knowledge, we’re limited.
- With hardware, we can start using tools, producing things—and we may still be limited by time and capacity.
- However… we’re no longer forced to own that hardware at home, and other constraints come into play too: networking, budget, and knowing how to use online services.
The modern shift: power no longer depends only on what you own
This is a key point: today, the computing power available to you doesn’t depend only on:
- your phone,
- your PC,
- your tablet,
- what you have at the office,
- or even what you can access in a coworking space.
Because there’s another option: rent computing power online.
Renting power: a real societal shift
Online, you can access services running on extremely powerful servers—true server farms—such as:
- audio, video, and text creation tools,
- artificial intelligence,
- storage,
- editing, rendering, generation, conversion,
- basically anything that “returns” a file processed by another computer… somewhere on the Internet.
In other words: you can compensate for limited local hardware by using remote services.
Responsible consumption: the question behind the trend
Why does this topic remain so current? Because demand is exploding.
We’re no longer talking about isolated use at home, in France.
On a global scale, there are billions of users, platforms, networks, data centers… and therefore massive energy needs.
And that raises a real question:
Are we producing and consuming this computing power responsibly?
Where does the energy powering the digital world come from?
When we talk about energy, we’re talking about societal choices—and available resources:
- fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas),
- nuclear power plants (fission today, fusion in the future),
- renewable energy (hydropower, wind, solar).
The important idea is this: the more “responsible” an energy source is, the more complex it tends to be to produce—and the more expensive it often is in the short term.
On the other hand, chasing what is quickly profitable usually means accepting more pollution and a bigger long-term impact.
So in the end, we often come back to a crucial and very real reality: it’s also a matter of resources, shared agreements, and long-term vision.
The digital consumption triangle: network, platform, user
Let’s take a concrete example: a Chinese video platform like TikTok—though this also applies to YouTube, Instagram, Netflix, and others.
You can see it as a triangle:
- The Internet network: infrastructure, routers, antennas, cables, etc.
- The platform: servers, storage, global distribution, advertising, algorithms.
- Us, the users: smartphones, charging electricity, screens, everyday usage.
And this triangle will become heavier and heavier, because video consumption and content production keep increasing over time.
The real questions are:
- What is this consumption for?
- What are we producing with it?
- What impact are we willing to accept?
- What kind of world are we building?
Responsible use: start with alignment—values, intention, consistency
For me, responsible use of digital services starts with a personal question:
Is what I produce using these tools aligned with my values?
Personal values, family values, the values of an organization, a company, a movement—whatever the framework, what matters is coherence.
Because today, services—especially AI—make content creation incredibly easy: you can create according to your taste and your vision, without necessarily causing harm, and it can help a lot of people to:
- express themselves,
- learn,
- create,
- develop an activity,
- thrive.
It’s a very positive potential… as long as we don’t produce anything, anyhow, for anyone.
AI and creation: democratization and a societal choice
Before, producing a studio-quality video or song required:
- equipment,
- a studio,
- a team,
- rare skills,
- significant budgets.
Today, with accessible tools and a reasonable budget, we can create:
- music,
- visuals,
- scripts,
- concepts,
- sometimes even mini-films or documentary illustrations.
This democratization is massive.
And I believe creation will become even more central: who will create what is inspiring, popular, useful, fulfilling? We’re entering a new era.
The trap: fear, ignorance, and content that drags us down
Another topic comes into the picture: fear.
When we don’t understand the world, when we feed ourselves catastrophic narratives, when we focus only on risks, we end up imagining a terrifying future—like in certain sci-fi or action movies, or in traditional media.
Yes, some films define an era—like The Matrix or Saving Private Ryan: you leave the theater impressed and shaken.
But if we consume only that, we maintain a worldview built on anxiety.
And if we want to talk about responsible consumption, we also have to talk about cultural responsibility:
- what we watch,
- what we share,
- what we encourage,
- what we produce.
This helps fight fear and ignorance, which are often at the root of violence and aggressiveness.
Computing power is a transaction: I pay, I get something
At some point, everything comes back to a simple logic:
- If I don’t have powerful hardware, either I optimize it with someone who knows how,
- or I rent computing power,
- or I organize with my network—teamwork, coworking, mutual help.
Even without big resources, people can pool funds, create together, and produce a project: articles, music, videos…
The barrier isn’t always money. Often it’s direction, coherence, discipline, and the ability not to get lost.
Because AI and the Internet open every possible path… and it’s easy to get scattered.
Marketing: creating value, not just being visible
An interesting point: marketing is often seen as superficial or deceptive. But in reality, marketing is:
- a way to create value,
- to structure a message,
- to carry an intention,
- to make an idea accessible.
And that connects directly to the central theme: what do I create, what do I base it on, and why do I share it?
We find well-known works that aren’t necessarily the best technically or artistically… but they were distributed, supported, made visible—through word of mouth, paid advertising, or both.
Distribution is part of the game.
Responsibility also means: what do I choose to make known?
Conclusion: create what inspires, share responsibly, rent power if needed
In the end, here’s the core idea:
- Computing power starts with hardware, but today we can access it online.
- Responsible consumption isn’t a perfect solution—it’s an ongoing question.
- Using digital services responsibly means:
- producing aligned content,
- seeking what inspires,
- sharing with intention,
- avoiding getting lost in fear or dispersion,
- and accepting that “responsible” may cost more in the short term—but builds better in the long term.
If you don’t have the hardware, if your connection isn’t perfect, if you think you won’t make it: there are alternatives—renting computing power, mutual aid, pooling knowledge and skills, and focused learning.
And above all, there’s one question that changes everything:
What do I truly want to create—and for what kind of world?
José D.