The hottest Cost Analysis Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Climate & Environment Topics

Can We Afford Large-scale Solar PV?

Construction Physics • 27768 implied HN points • 29 May 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy Solar Power Energy Storage Infrastructure Cost Analysis
  1. Solar energy can supply a significant part of electricity demand, with estimates suggesting it could meet 30-40% without needing a lot of extra infrastructure.
  2. Affordable batteries are crucial as they help balance supply and demand, not just for solar but for any energy system.
  3. If the costs of solar panels and batteries keep dropping, we might be able to meet up to 80% of electricity demand with solar, which makes the future of solar power look promising.

Groq Inference Tokenomics: Speed, But At What Cost?

SemiAnalysis • 10708 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI hardware Performance analysis Cost Analysis
  1. Groq AI hardware showcases impressive speed and cost efficiency, outperforming other inference services while charging less.
  2. While speed is vital, supply chain diversification plays a significant role in evaluating hardware's revolutionary potential.
  3. Understanding the total cost of ownership is crucial in deploying AI software, with significant impacts from chip microarchitecture and system architecture.

Low Hanging Fruit

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 1511 implied HN points • 30 Nov 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Emissions Renewable Energy Policy Cost Analysis Nuclear power
  1. Replacing 150 coal power plants with nuclear power can reduce global emissions by 25% by 2035.
  2. The cost of replacing these plants with nuclear power is significantly lower than other emissions reduction measures.
  3. If the world is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, retiring or retrofitting coal plants is necessary, and nuclear power provides a feasible alternative.

Hertz And EV's

Points And Figures • 532 implied HN points • 22 Jan 24
💼 Business Electric Vehicles Operational Efficiency Cost Analysis Industry Impact
  1. Hertz is selling off their 20,000 EVs due to operational challenges and inefficiencies in the EV business.
  2. Tesla is highlighted as the top choice for EVs with the best range, features, and price.
  3. The real issue with EVs isn't the vehicles themselves but rather the government subsidies and operational complexities, such as charging and maintenance, that impact rental car companies like Hertz.

The imperfect LCOE and CfD

GEM Energy Analytics • 439 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy Renewable Energy Electricity Markets Cost Analysis Sustainability
  1. LCOE is not a reliable measure for wind and solar energy. It can mislead comparisons and decisions about energy costs.
  2. The value of electricity changes over time, especially for renewables. When the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, electricity prices can drop, making more generation less valuable.
  3. Support programs like Contract-for-Difference (CfD) might help producers but can hurt the overall system. They do not encourage efficient energy production based on market prices.
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What if you just bought everyone air purifiers?

DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER • 296 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
🔬 Science Environmental health Philanthropy Public Health Cost Analysis
  1. Buying air purifiers for everyone could extend life expectancy, but at a high cost compared to other health interventions.
  2. The cost of buying air purifiers for random Americans to extend life expectancy is $32,899 per DALY, which is not as efficient as other healthcare interventions.
  3. Air purifiers may be a good health investment for individuals, but philanthropically, they are not as cost-effective as other interventions like malaria drugs.

POV > AI

The Intersection • 118 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
💼 Business Creativity Marketing Advertising Cost Analysis
  1. A unique point of view can be more valuable than relying solely on AI for creative work, showcasing the importance of human creativity and perspective.
  2. The creative process, involving brainstorming, team collaboration, idea refinement, and client communication, can be greatly expedited by leveraging AI tools.
  3. Creatives with experience have a wealth of ideas and insights stored in their 'drawers' of knowledge, allowing them to quickly adapt and innovate, providing a distinct value compared to AI.

Nvidia's Margins May Be Safe

Tapa’s Substack • 59 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Chips Networking Cost Analysis Performance
  1. Nvidia's GPUs are so good that even if competitors offered their chips for free, it's still not enough to beat Nvidia's performance. Overall, focusing only on GPU prices misses the bigger picture of total ownership costs.
  2. Networking costs make up a large part of the expenses when using AI chip clusters. Even if you find a cheaper GPU, the added networking costs can make it more expensive overall.
  3. AI chip startups need to consider the entire system's costs, not just the price of the chips themselves. If they don't, they may struggle to compete with Nvidia's established products.

January 2024 Residential Construction and New Home Sales

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 105 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
💰 Finance Housing Market Home Prices Construction Cost Analysis
  1. The divergence between the average price of new homes and existing homes signals obstructed supply in the housing market.
  2. Changes in mortgage rates and market conditions can influence the size and types of new homes being built and sold.
  3. Reforms allowing for more new homes to be built could lower costs and reduce the price of existing homes.

How to Get UEBA Costs for Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 99 implied HN points • 09 Oct 23
🕹 Technology IT Management Cost Analysis Data Analysis
  1. UEBA costs for Microsoft Sentinel are based on the amount of data analyzed and can vary based on factors like the tables used.
  2. A KQL query can help estimate and break down the costs for UEBA in Microsoft Sentinel.
  3. By utilizing the provided KQL query, you can calculate and observe the estimated costs for the UEBA solution within Microsoft Sentinel.

What is nuclear's should-cost?

Gordian Knot News • 212 implied HN points • 04 May 23
🔬 Science Nuclear Energy Regulation Cost Analysis Risk Assessment
  1. Nuclear power can be more cost-effective than traditional sources like coal plants.
  2. Naive LCOE may not accurately represent the true cost of nuclear energy due to fluctuations in demand and the need for backup.
  3. Key challenges for nuclear power include regulatory risk, construction risk, and ensuring liability for unplanned outages and radiation releases.

🕵️🗺️ Where do I deploy Llama-2? 🦙🦙

LLMs for Engineers • 59 implied HN points • 22 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Data Privacy Cost Analysis
  1. There are many options for hosting Llama-2, including big names like AWS, GCP, and Azure, as well as newer providers like Lambda Labs and CoreWeave. Each has its own pricing and GPU options.
  2. Understanding how much you plan to use Llama-2 is important. This helps you decide whether to use a cloud service provider or a function-based option like Replicate.
  3. Cost-effectiveness varies with different providers. For low usage, function providers can be cheaper, but for higher usage, CSPs might save you money in the long run.

AI Agent Basics: Let’s Think Step By Step

jonstokes.com • 195 implied HN points • 21 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Software Machine Learning Programming Cost Analysis
  1. The rise of AI agents is introducing a new software paradigm that allows AI to make plans from text prompts.
  2. LLMs powered agents can generate detailed plans for achieving goals, revolutionizing the way tasks are accomplished.
  3. The agent paradigm offers a more cost-effective, yet higher-cost per run computation model compared to traditional software development, akin to the cloud computing model.

A Guide to Switching Platform to Shopify

Cristian’s Substack • 39 implied HN points • 10 Apr 23
💼 Business E-commerce Cost Analysis Testing SEO
  1. Shopify offers benefits like fast-loading websites, scalable infrastructure, and a great back office user experience.
  2. Potential drawbacks of Shopify include dependency on apps, development costs, mismanagement risks, and limited content management.
  3. Steps before switching to Shopify include assessing pain points, trying out a test store, evaluating costs, planning migration, and making necessary platform checks before the switch.

Careless Whisper (Usage Can Blow Out Your API Limits)

networked • 107 implied HN points • 07 Jul 23
🕹 Technology AI API Cost Analysis Application development
  1. The main value proposition of the app is to automate the process of summarizing podcast episodes, reducing manual work.
  2. Focus on reducing transcription costs rather than summarization costs for cost savings in a podcast summarizer app.
  3. Experiment with modifying audio speed and removing silences to lower transcription costs and enhance accuracy.

One solution to swatting hoaxes is sending fewer cops

School Shooting Data Analysis and Reports • 19 implied HN points • 12 Dec 23
📰 News Security Law enforcement Cost Analysis Emergency Response
  1. Sending fewer cops to swatting hoaxes can help break the cycle and discourage future incidents.
  2. Scaling back police responses to hoaxes saves time, money, and reduces risk of accidents or damages.
  3. It's challenging to stop swatting hoaxes due to the difficulty in tracing and blocking internet-based calls, but police can still adapt their response strategies.

It's About Time Traffic Engineers Included the Cost of Traffic Violence in Their Calculations

Exasperated Infrastructures • 12 implied HN points • 12 May 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Economic Impact Cost Analysis Safety measures
  1. Traffic engineers should include the cost of traffic violence in their project calculations to prioritize safety.
  2. Calculating the cost of lost productivity from motor vehicle incidents reveals the substantial economic impact of traffic violence.
  3. Factoring in the value of a human life can help in justifying safety improvements and preventing unnecessary tragedies.

GPT-4's Hidden Cost: Is Your Language Pricing You Out of AI Innovation?

Tomasz’s Substack • 3 HN points • 14 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Language Models Global Markets Innovation Cost Analysis
  1. Using GPT-4 for AI innovation can be costly, with prices ranging from 10 to 100 times more than GPT-3 which can pose challenges for businesses.
  2. The pricing structure of GPT services, based on tokens, can disadvantage businesses using non-English languages due to varying token costs.
  3. Cost differentials for processing languages other than English with GPT-4 can be significant, potentially hindering adoption and innovation worldwide.

It’s cheaper being green

Klement on Investing • 1 implied HN point • 02 Dec 24
💰 Finance Investing Capital Markets Sustainability Cost Analysis Corporate Finance
  1. Going绿色可能会更便宜，很多公司发现绿色项目的资本成本比传统项目低。
  2. 公司更愿意投资绿色项目，因为他们认为这些项目的回报率更高。
  3. 这个趋势在过去几年中增强，特别是在环境、社会和公司治理（即环境、社会和公司治理）投资变得流行之后。

OpenAI vs Self Hosted LLMs: A Cost Analysis

ScaleDown • 5 implied HN points • 19 Sep 23
🕹 Technology AI Cost Analysis APIs Comparison
  1. OpenAI pricing is token-based, with different costs for input and output tokens, encouraging more detailed prompts for accuracy.
  2. Self-hosted LLMs costs are based on computational resources rather than tokens, with potential for higher costs but no API limits.
  3. Comparing OpenAI and self-hosted LLM costs requires considering utilization rates, where high utilization makes self-hosted more cost-effective.

Product Management Skills - Articulating development cost risks

Joseph Gefroh • 0 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
💼 Business Product Management Risk management Cost Analysis Decision-making
  1. As a product manager, it's crucial to articulate, define, and compare risks to make informed decisions.
  2. Development cost risk is a key consideration for product managers, impacting the cost-effectiveness of solutions.
  3. Saying 'no' to a project due to development cost concerns may actually hinder value delivery, as development costs are ongoing even when no work is done.

Two approaches to hydrogen electrolysis

cleanenergyreview • 0 implied HN points • 28 May 24
🔬 Science Renewable Energy Cost Analysis Energy Efficiency Green Technology
  1. Lower upfront costs for an efficient electrolysis system may not always lead to overall cost-effectiveness compared to a more expensive system that is cheaper to run over time.
  2. The choice between efficient yet expensive electrolysis systems and cheaper but less energy-efficient ones is influenced by factors like energy costs, utilization rates, and capital investments.
  3. The growing focus on green hydrogen production, powered by renewable energy sources like wind and solar, is reshaping the energy landscape by making low-cost electrolysis approaches increasingly competitive.

Jobs for LLMs and how to survive the robotic uprising

Baby CTO • 0 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Automation Cost Analysis Future prospects
  1. LLMs are effective at transforming and shortening text, as well as classifying data, but may struggle with non-obvious tasks like cleaning poorly structured datasets.
  2. LLMs can be cost-prohibitive, especially at higher request volumes, so it's important to consider alternative solutions and hosting options.
  3. Real-world use cases where LLMs excel include FAQ-style chatbots, email parsing, and first-layer customer support, offering efficiency and automation.