In a move that may bring new meaning to the term "cloud computing," HyperScale Nexus Holding Corp, which focuses on providing Nvidia H100 GPUs for the AI and HPC markets, last month announced that Colorado-based signed an agreement to acquire American Cannabis Company inc. The company describes itself as providing industry-focused advisory and consulting services, cultivation product manufacturing, and facilities for cannabis startups.

Hyperscale Nexus, meanwhile, currently leases 30,000 Nvidia H100 chipsets and offers "unparalleled cloud services, managed hosting, and professional services."

However, this is not the first time we have seen a marriage between data centers and, shall we say, cultivation. Equinix is reusing the heat from its data centers to grow fruits and vegetables in Paris, and cannabis can be grown in the same way.

Our understanding (and this is purely based on a large amount of internet research, of course) is that cannabis flowers require a long and intensive drying process before they are, shall we say, ready for use. Perhaps a brave new world awaits, where someone's next bag of devil's lettuce is gently cooked in the exhaust fumes of an Nvidia GPU. I'm glad I'm alive.

All this reminds me of the glory days of the first crypto boom. While this was rightly derided by many as little more than an enterprising gimmick, there is a genuine concern among data center providers that, at least on the surface, their businesses are not the most environmentally friendly operations. With high-tech companies like Microsoft and Meta eagerly announcing creative uses for their thermal recycling initiatives, it is no wonder that more and more data center providers are experimenting with new and creative ways to utilize all excess energy.

Any way to reuse waste heat would be worth noting, and while the true motivation for this acquisition remains unclear, this budding new venture may be an attempt to strike a blow against such concerns.