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There have been many attempts to put data centres in unusual places over the years - Microsoft put a data centre under the sea, Elon Musk has suggested putting them in space.

Now a UK firm is betting on data centres using thousands of connected smart lampposts, and has signed a formal agreement with a Nigerian state to deploy 50,000 of them.

Warwickshire-based Conflow Power Group Limited (CPG) says networked together its solar-powered iLamp units "double as a revenue-generating distributed AI data centre".

However, some experts have told the BBC the tech isn't a substitute for the powerful data centres needed to run the toughest AI tasks, although they could be useful for less demanding work.

Each iLamp has batteries which are charged by a cylindrical solar panel. These supply the energy used by a low-powered computer suitable for AI tasks.

"NVIDIA is the company that's created a small enough chip, powered with 15 watts of power, so it can be powered by solar, and we can put that inside a street light", CPG chairman Edward Fitzpatrick told the BBC's Tech Life programme.

The firm's plan, according to Fitzpatrick, is that scaled across thousands of units, a network of iLamps would deliver the collective processing power of a data centre with the environmental benefit of not drawing energy from the grid.

'Fried' chips
Data centre industry veteran Prof Ian Bitterlin told the BBC the physical security of the streetlights would be a concern.

Fitzpatrick accepts this. "If people realise that there's a $2,000 unit inside there they might try and steal it", he said, but that the posts were designed so the chip would be "fried" if removed.


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The lampposts can also operate as AI-powered surveillance cameras.

In Nigeria, each will be fitted with AI cameras capable of detecting parking violations, speeding vehicles, and seatbelt non-compliance, the company says.

iLamps with cameras are already in a car park at Warwick Hospital and are capable of providing "CCTV monitoring and number plate recognition," CPG says.

The streetlights might also be used to spot wanted or missing people using facial recognition, Fitzpatrick said.

No such deployment currently exists yet, although there are "final stage negotiations" with state schools and local authorities in Florida to use all of these features he added.

Those worried about the possibility of bias, misuse and the loss of privacy caused by facial recognition may take a dim view of this capability of the cameras.

CPG says it will only deploy this technology in partnership "with the relevant authority" and in full compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Fitzpatrick even sees the lights as a way of interacting with the public: "you could walk past the streetlight, put your two fingers up like a victory sign and that could be voting for something. That could be a poll which you could put out onto social media".

Power, energy, money
The energy use of AI systems is, some estimates suggest, already approaching the same level as the entire UK, external and there are similar concerns about their water consumption.

But some experts suggest the solar-powered streetlights are best suited to supplementing large data centres, not replacing them: there will still be a need for their concentrated computing power and efficiencies of scale.

John Booth, Managing Director of consultancy Carbon3IT Ltd and a member of BCS the Chartered Institute for IT told the BBC that in his view the iLamps could have value as "a relatively low-cost solution that can be used for small AI applications in conjunction with other larger sites".

Bitterlin, however, thinks AI streetlighting couldn't replace the biggest data centres used to train leading large language models. Particularly because the distance, and therefore the speed of communication, between the posts would be too slow.

But apps and software using AI need thousands of systems closer to users. This could be provided by the lampposts acting as "access points, just like mobile phone masts" to more powerful data centres running big AI models, he adds.

Under CPG's plan income from renting out the processing power of the iLamps to AI companies will go to investors in a green bond that will fund the installation and maintenance of the streetlights.

Katsina, the Nigerian state taking the devices, will earn revenue from fines for speeding and traffic violations spotted by the lamppost cameras. After three years CPG will start taking a 20% cut of this, the company says.

Bright idea? UK firm pioneers data centres using lampposts

Fitzpatrick sees Africa as a key location to prove the technology and to grow the business: "Africa is our prime target because there's plenty of sunshine which is great, they've got more relaxed rules and regulations, they want us to put the street lights on the street."

The iLamps will be built in Morocco, Taiwan and Latvia, but an assembly factory is also being built in Katsina.

Welcoming the deal, Dr Hafiz Ibrahim Ahmad, Special Adviser on Power and Energy, Katsina State, said it was now "home to the only distributed AI data centre of its kind anywhere on the African continent".

He suggested the iLamps could mean "safer streets, real-time crime and terrorism prevention, free public internet and a revenue stream that flows back into the state."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98r4e594p7o

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has been sacked after a fifth straight Premier League loss on Tuesday night.

The club was holding senior leadership team discussions about his future earlier today.

A 3-0 loss at Brighton further dented the Blues' hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, with Rosenior admitting the performance was "indefensible".

The Blues are set to play Leeds in an FA Cup semi-final on Sunday.

Rosenior said on Tuesday he must identify which players he can trust after the poor result at the Amex Stadium.

It was Chelsea's fifth straight league loss without scoring for the first time since 1912.

"I understand their frustration," Rosenior said of the fans.

"The buck stops with me. I have thick skin and I understand why the fans are frustrated."

https://news.sky.com/story/chelsea-head-coach-liam-rosenior-sacked-after-fifth-straight-premier-league-loss-13535018

The Trump administration has begun processing refunds for billions of dollars in tariffs that the US Supreme Court struck down in February.

In what is to be the biggest repayment programme in history, companies can apply online for money they were charged under the so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs - plus interest - to be returned.

The US Court of International Trade in March ordered customs officials to refund the more than $160bn (£121bn) the government had collected, putting roughly 330,000 importers in a position to potentially win back some money.

But some individual consumers, who were hit by the tariffs indirectly through higher prices, are not expected to be compensated.

The refunds relate to levies charged by US President Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

"All importers of record whose entries were subject to IEEPA duties are entitled to the benefit" from the high court's ruling, Judge Richard Eaton wrote in March.

As of early April, more than 56,000 importers had completed the necessary steps to apply for refunds online when the portal opened, with their claims worth $127bn (£943m).

The portal, known as the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (Cape), went live on Monday.

A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said Cape had been built to "efficiently process refunds".

The system will process refunds for importers as one lump sum, rather than making businesses apply item by item.

Customs and Border Protection said successful applicants can expect refunds, as well as any applicable interest, to be paid in 60 to 90 days.

Aaron Powell said he found the process smooth

A coalition of small businesses set up to campaign for tariff refunds said some members have found the process seamless, while others have reported delays and errors.

Dan Anthony, executive director at We Pay the Tariffs, said: "As expected, today's refund portal launch is a mixed bag for small businesses."

He added that businesses are far more concerned about the potential for new tariffs, as proposed by the Trump administration, which he said could wipe-out any refunds received.

Aaron Powell, founder and chief executive of Bunch Bikes, said he had prepared to file for a refund of around $120,000, and was able to find his way through the Cape portal just minutes after it opened.

But he said firm he is in contact with have described a mixed bag, with those logging on later in the day experiencing error messages, with little help available for those struggling.

His electric bike company was "very exposed" to the tariffs due to the international nature of its supply chain, and Powell told the BBC the money he is refunded will be used mainly as a buffer in case future levies are imposed.

"I am cautiously optimistic, but until the money is in my bank account, I am not counting on it or spending it," he said.

He added: "At the moment, we are not hiring, not going out and spending or making big investments, it's a buffer as we have more tariffs expected in July or August."

A major issue with the process has been concerns raised by individual shoppers who faced higher prices as a result of Trump's tariffs yet have no means to claim compensation themselves.

One way in which consumers could be compensated is by businesses disbursing any funds recouped from Customs and Border Protection to those affected, though few have announced plans to do so.

Individuals have begun filing class action lawsuits against companies they claim passed on the cost of Trump's tariffs, arguing that any refunds businesses are paid should be passed on to consumers.

Federal cases have been filed against Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica and FedEx, while a class-action lawsuit has been filed against Costco in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Costco chief executive Ron Vachris has said the retailer plans to pass on any tariff refunds to customers "through lower prices and better values".

The BBC spoke to lamp-maker Sue Johnson earlier this month, who said Trump's tariffs prompted her supplier to double the cost of a key material used in her designs.

She expects no relief from the refund process.

"Maybe they'll get repaid, but I have no hope they're going to refund me," she said.

The issue is complicated by the fact that while many importers raised their prices, they often did not do so by enough to fully offset the cost of the tariffs.

The tariffs also often triggered other kinds of costs, forcing businesses to take on debt to pay for the duties and leading to harder-to-quantify hits like lost sales.

Officials from the Trump administration have made it clear they do not expect consumers to benefit directly from the refunds.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer last month urged companies that score a refund "windfall" to give it to workers in the form of bonuses. In February, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, suggested it was unlikely consumers would benefit.

"I got a feeling the American people won't see it," he said.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7vqgge5g8lo