Describing a process, activity, or system that requires a significant allocation of resources. These resources can be varied, including but not limited to, financial capital, human labor, time, energy, raw materials, specialized equipment, and data. The level of intensity implies a relatively large consumption or demand compared to alternatives, or a high per-unit cost. The term often highlights the potential for inefficiencies or the need for optimization to reduce costs, environmental impact, or operational burden. It can also underscore the difficulty of scaling a project or undertaking. The scale of what constitutes 'significant' varies based on context.
Resource-intensive meaning with examples
- Building the new hydroelectric dam was deemed resource-intensive due to the vast amount of concrete, steel, and specialized machinery required, along with the extensive environmental impact assessment and relocation of local communities. This large-scale project also strained the engineering expertise pool and long development timeline.
- Early digital image processing was often resource-intensive. Algorithms used to improve the quality of the photo required considerable computational power to perform the complex matrix multiplications and color calibrations, rendering the process slow and costly. As a result, few people could have access to these features at the time.
- Maintaining aging infrastructure, such as rail networks and water pipelines, can be resource-intensive. The costs include the consistent allocation of budget for repairs, the constant need for human labor to complete them, and the downtime and disruption caused to existing services.
- Deep learning models, especially those with many layers and vast datasets, are resource-intensive. Training these AI systems demands significant computational power, extensive memory, and specialized hardware like high-performance GPUs, making this type of work expensive and limited.