Meta confirmed its intention to power US data centres using nuclear energy. With the aim of adding one to four gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity “beginning in the early 2030s,” the firm declared that it is now inviting bids from nuclear energy developers to collaborate on the project.
Meta is looking for partners with experience with “either Small Modular Reactors (SMR) or larger nuclear reactors,” according to the company’s request for proposals. The corporation is “geographically agnostic” regarding the location of possible nuclear plants, according to Axios.
The Financial Times said earlier this year that the corporation had previously planned to construct a nuclear-powered data centre, but the plans were shelved after a rare species of bee was found close to the location.
“We think nuclear energy can help provide firm, baseload power to support the growth needs of the electric grids that power both our data centres (the physical infrastructure on which Meta’s platforms operate) and the communities around them, as new innovations bring impactful technological advancements across sectors and support economic growth,” the company wrote in a statement.
Not just Meta, but other large tech companies are also looking to nuclear power to fuel their AI aspirations. In order to increase the amount of nuclear power from SMRs by 500 megawatts, Google recently announced an agreement to develop several reactors in the United States. In order to support its AI development, Microsoft also stated this year that it hopes to revitalise the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor in Pennsylvania.
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