Nuclear energy is on the rise as tech giants like Amazon, Google and Microsoft are all vying for for power.
The AI revolution has heavily impacted the tech industry.
Industry leaders have been eager to create and enhance their variety of artificial intelligence models as they look to the future. Companies like Amazon, Google and Microsoft dig deeper into AI, and they are turning to nuclear energy to power the data centers that are critical to maximizing AI’s capabilities.
Nuclear energy powering the AI revolution
Amazon, Microsoft and Google have all secured deals with nuclear power plant owners and operators to acquire the necessary power for their AI data centers. Artificial intelligence requires a lot of data, but it needs to consume even more data to advance.
As such, companies are investing in building more data centers to make their AI model the best on the market.
However, AI data centers require an extraordinary amount of energy to operate. Nuclear energy has been the answer to the issue. Microsoft agreed to a deal with Constellation, the owner of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant, to open one of the reactors on the plant for Microsoft’s exclusive use.
Three Mile Island is the site of the worst nuclear incident in U.S. history. However, the plant is still operational and ready to serve Microsoft as they work to obtain regulatory licenses for operation.
Google agreed to a deal with Kairos Power to use several small nuclear reactors in Tennessee for its data centers. Google expects to be able to use one of the reactors in the next few years and all of the small reactors by 2035. The nuclear energy deal is also contingent on Kairos Power getting the necessary licenses, similar to Microsoft and Constellation’s deal.
Amazon went along a similar vein as Google for their nuclear energy source, as they made a deal with X-Energy to use some of its small nuclear reactors to power its AI data centers.
Meeting climate expectations
Tech giants have increased their carbon emissions as the need for power for AI data centers has risen.
As a result, Amazon, Google and Microsoft, among others, are seeking ways to power their operations while minimizing their carbon footprint. While solar and wind power are great alternatives to traditional power consumption, but they don’t provide enough energy to power the data centers AI needs.
Nuclear energy is the solution to that problem for these companies. Nuclear energy allows them to offset their carbon emissions while providing the massive power required to advance the AI revolution.
