Meta announced plans to use nuclear energy to power its data centers in the United States. The company announced that it has started collecting bids from nuclear energy developers to implement the project and aims to add between one and four gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity from the early 2030s.
In Meta’s call for proposals, it is stated that the partners to be collaborated with are expected to have experience with “Small Modular Reactors (SMR)” or larger nuclear reactors. According to Axios, the company is adopting a “geographically flexible” approach to the location of possible nuclear facilities. However, this is not Meta’s first focus on nuclear energy. The company’s plans to build a nuclear-powered data center were canceled after a rare bee species was discovered at the project site, the Financial Times previously reported.
Meta made the following statements in his statement regarding nuclear energy plans:
“As new innovations drive impactful technological advancements and economic growth across a variety of sectors, we believe nuclear energy can support the growth demands of both our data centers (the physical infrastructure on which Meta’s platforms operate) and the power grids needed by the surrounding communities.”
Meta is not the only technology giant turning to nuclear energy
Meta isn’t the only tech giant with plans to invest in nuclear energy. Google recently signed a deal to build multiple reactors in the US and said it aims to generate 500 megawatts of nuclear power from Small Modular Reactors. On the other hand, Microsoft announced that it plans to revive the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania and aims to use this energy in artificial intelligence development projects.
These developments reveal that major technology companies see nuclear energy as a strategic solution to meet increasing energy demands and support environmental sustainability goals. Nuclear energy, with its high energy capacity and potential to reduce carbon emissions, can play a critical role in responding to the growing needs of the technology world.
The nuclear energy projects targeted by Meta aim to provide an environmentally friendly approach while increasing the reliability of energy grids. In addition, nuclear energy is expected to have an important place in the company’s plans to achieve its 2030 sustainability goals.