Promps and queries with generative AI is processed through data centers that also process thousands, if not millions, of queries at the same time. A lot of companies seem to think nuclear power is a solution to potential power limitations in the long term, including Meta.
In a bid to power its growing data center needs, Meta is seeking proposals from nuclear power developers to add 1 to 4 gigawatts of electricity generating capacity in the U.S. This announcement comes after Meta’s earlier attempt to build a data center next to an existing nuclear reactor was reportedly thwarted due to environmental concerns. The Menlo Park-based company, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is willing to share early development costs and commit to purchasing power once the reactors are operational. However, the company has set an ambitious timeline, requiring initial proposals by February 7, 2025, and expecting the plants to be online in the early 2030s.
Unlike its previous effort, Meta now doesn’t mind too much the location of the new nuclear power plants, as long as they support the electric grids powering both its data centers and surrounding communities. This flexible approach may help Meta navigate regulatory hurdles that have both killed its previous effort and thwarted efforts for other companies such as Amazon.
Whether Meta will be able to meet this timeline at all remains an open question. It’s certainly not the only company with similarly ambitious goals, though. Amazon, for one, wants to power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, just a year from now. Microsoft is also trying to go forward with its own, slightly controversial plans for nuclear power. That power generation would probably be more helpful towards replacing coal, natural gas, and other sources that create more emissions, rather than creating weird Facebook memes, but oh well.
Source: TechCrunch
