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Tech giant Meta on Thursday announced a major deal with three US nuclear power companies that is expected to add up to 6.6 gigawatts of clean energy by 2035. That said, what should you know about it?
Meta is investing heavily in nuclear power
For your information, the deal makes Meta among the largest corporate buyers of nuclear power in the United States, as the company seeks to meet the energy needs of its growing artificial intelligence (AI) operations.
Additionally, the Facebook parent company signed agreements with Vistra, TerraPower and Oklo to extend the operation of existing nuclear plants and develop advanced reactor technology, following a similar agreement with Constellation Energy last year.
“World-class AI data centres and infrastructure are essential to ensuring America’s position as a global leader in AI,” said Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, Joel Kaplan. “Nuclear energy will help power our AI future.”
Moreover, this agreement will provide financial support to continue the operation of three existing nuclear plants, while also supporting the development of more experimental nuclear technologies. The collaboration with Oklo, backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and TerraPower, backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, involves Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) that aim to provide cleaner nuclear energy that is easier to develop.
In addition, the SMR design promises better safety features and more efficient operations than traditional plants, but has not yet been widely deployed. Meta said this project will support the Prometheus supercluster data centre in New Albany, Ohio.
Meta will shoulder the full cost for the nuclear reactors
Meta also stressed that the company pays the full cost of the energy used by its data centres so that consumers do not bear the burden, thus addressing concerns about the increasing demand for electricity by technology companies. The move towards nuclear power reflects the huge energy needs for AI development, with tech companies racing to secure reliable energy sources for their data centre operations, a trend that has seen some tech companies scale back previous climate commitments.
Furthermore, nuclear power provides a consistent base supply of electricity, in contrast to renewable sources such as wind and solar, which are erratic in nature, making it attractive to facilities that require a 24-hour electricity supply. The announcement comes as the nuclear industry seeks to rebound after decades of being hit by nuclear accidents and high costs.
Besides that, Amazon is supporting a nuclear revival through SMR, while Google plans to restart a reactor in Iowa in 2029. Microsoft, meanwhile, signed a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy to take almost the entire output of the revived Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania.
Interestingly, the Trump administration announced in October an investment of USD80 billion (~RM324.8 billion) to begin construction of 10 conventional reactors by 2030 in partnership with Westinghouse Electric Company.
Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more updates.
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