Meta is now considering Nuclear Reactors to fuel the growth of Artificial Intelligence.
Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms Inc. has recently been looking for solutions to address the rapidly rising energy needs of its AI systems. Meta has recently launched a request for offers to build between 1 and 4GW of nuclear reactor capacity with the intention to go online at the start of the 2030s. This massive project is proof of the tech giant’s dedication to renewable energy sources that are also dependable.
An Increasing Demand for Renewable Energy
Since the use of AI has become more or less mainstream at Meta, the company’s energy consumption has risen significantly. Overall, power usage in data centers in the United States is expected to increase threefold by the year 2030; hence, new generation capacity of 47 GW. In response to this, Meta has considered both the large conventional nuclear reactor power plants and the small modular reactors. The latter is an advanced approach that is expected to be deployed faster and at reduced expense while at this time constituting a relatively novel commercial concept.
“At Meta, we envision nuclear as the critical path to a cleaner, more reliable, and diversified electric grid,” the company said in a statement for the release.
Major Tech Companies Leading the Nuclear Energy Renaissance
Meta is not the only tech company that has been considering nuclear energy as its source of power with Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet among others. Microsoft recently teamed up with Constellation Energy to revive a nuclear reactor unit at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, the first project of its kind related to data centers. Earlier this year, Amazon also invested in a nuclear-powered data center funded by Talen Energy.
Adam Stein, director of nuclear energy innovation at the Breakthrough Institute, also pointed to the tech companies as the key in reinvigorating nuclear energy investments. “Early-stage financial risks that utilities tend to shy away from are now being taken by tech firms, according to Stein.”
A Vision for the Future
Meta’s nuclear energy plans are also about AI and environment as well as the company’s needs. It has laid out plans that show it believes that the world is moving towards a clean energy future and nuclear reactors are the key to achieving that.
The company’s request for proposals came out with a precondition of selecting experienced developers in community engagement, regulatory permitting and project development. The call for submissions will close on the 3rd of January 2025. If successful, Meta’s initiative could be the first of the next generation nuclear energy projects that could be adopted as a new trend by the tech corporations.
Challenges and Opportunities
However, nuclear energy has challenges such as high costs of construction and even longer time to complete construction of plants. Still, according to the specialists, Meta is right to place its reactors operational by the early 2030s if the development starts.
Stein agrees with the time frame but he remains hopeful, “There are definitely some candidates that may be ready by the early 2030s if they get started very soon.”
Meta’s entry into nuclear energy is among the continually emerging convergence of technology and sustainability. With the ever growing demand for energy, nuclear reactors would have a tremendous opportunity of providing a clean and resilient energy system.
source:: ndtv.com
