American online store Amazon invests in small nuclear reactors. He made the announcement on Wednesday, just two days after Google made a similar announcement. She wrote about it AP agency. Both tech giants are looking for new sources of carbon-neutral energy to meet the growing demand for electricity from their data centers and artificial intelligence.
The companies took these steps after the owner of the closed Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania announced plans to put one of the reactors into operation for Microsoft’s needs. Like Google and Amazon, it needs to power its data centers, which have enormous consumption. All three companies are already investing in solar and wind technologies that produce electricity without greenhouse gases. However, in order to meet their emission reduction commitments, they must look to a number of different solutions, and small generators are one of them.
Nuclear power plants can satisfy climatologists because nuclear reactors do not emit greenhouse gases, as fossil fuel power plants do. The demand for energy is growing globally, especially due to the electrification of buildings and transport.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that data centers could use up to 1,000 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2026, more than double the amount in 2022. According to estimates, one terawatt hour can power up to 70,000 households for a whole year.
“The rapid development of artificial intelligence is bringing a significant increase in the number of data centers and dramatically increasing their energy requirements,” said Kevin Miller, vice president of global data centers for Amazon Web Services, adding: “We see advanced new core technologies as crucial and necessary.”
American giants and green energy
The United States is focusing on so-called small modular reactors. It is a type of smaller nuclear reactor that can generate about one-third the amount of energy of a traditional reactor. Developers claim that small reactors have lower construction costs and take much less time to build than conventional reactors. At the same time, it can adapt to the needs of a specific place.
If the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gives this type of reactor the green light, electricity from the first small reactors will reach consumers in the early 1930s. If the plan fails, and assuming AI continues to develop at the same pace as it has been, the share of energy from clean sources in the US would increase significantly.
However, at the beginning, the energy from these reactors could become more expensive. The industry will need customers who are willing to pay more for reliable, neutral energy initially before the number of reactors increases, MIT professor of nuclear science and engineering Jacopo Buongiorn told the agency. Google announced Monday that it has signed a deal to buy nuclear power from several small modular reactors planned to be developed by nuclear technology firm Kairos Power. The deal is expected to bring 500 megawatts of power to the grid. For context, Google used more than 24 terawatt hours of electricity last year — that’s like 1.7 million homes.
Amazon’s announcements on Wednesday included a partnership with Dominion Energy. According to the agreement, a small modular reactor should be located near the existing North Anna nuclear power plant in Virginia. For Amazon, the deal could yield up to five thousand megawatts of energy by the end of the 30s, but that’s only a small fraction of the company’s total consumption.
Both companies are committed to using renewable energy for their operational purposes. Google has committed to achieving zero emissions in its electricity production by 2030, and Amazon by 2040.
Amazon and Google’s Nuclear Gambit: A Shockingly Bright Future?
Well, well, well, if it isn’t the tech titans raiding the nostalgia cupboard! Yes, folks, Amazon and Google have decided to go all “Splitting Atoms” on us by investing in small nuclear reactors. It seems like just yesterday we were worried about our phones exploding; now we’re wondering how many megawatts it takes to blow up a data center! But hey, what better way to keep your data hyperactive than with some good old nuclear energy?
The Green Titan Showdown
Just two days after Google announced a similar venture, Amazon jumped into the ring, swinging its checkbook like a kid with a credit card in a candy store. Both of these tech do-gooders are on the hunt for carbon-neutral energy, presumably because their data centers are guzzling electricity like it’s going out of style. Seriously, their power needs are so high, if you squint hard enough, you might see them forming their own constellation!
Now, you might ask, why the sudden nuclear obsession? Well, these companies—following Microsoft’s lead, which has its eye on the shuttered Three Mile Island—are scrambling to power their data empires while also fulfilling those pesky commitments to reduce emissions. It seems data is more in demand than last season’s kale smoothies!
The Sizzling Science of Small Reactors
Let’s talk about these so-called small modular reactors. They’re like the mini-vans of nuclear reactors: less powerful but just the right size for your local energy needs. According to developers, these reactors are cheaper and quicker to build, kind of like IKEA furniture—except when they blow up, they really blow up! (Just kidding—nuclear energy is safe… mostly…) If they get the green light from regulators, we could see these electronic gems generating energy by the early 2030s. Get ready for a nuclear renaissance!
Power Crunch: A Tight Squeeze
With electric consumption projected to skyrocket—thanks in part to artificial intelligence eating its way through data like a hungry teenager—it’s no wonder companies have taken a shine to this atom-splitting technology. Kevin Miller from AWS remarked that “advanced new core technologies are crucial.” Translation? They’ve realized that keeping their servers running without meltdown is cheaper than repeated server crashes!
Now, here’s where it gets emotional (well, for energy policy nerds anyway). While their initial costs might send you into a financial panic that rivals looking at your bank statement post-Christmas, fear not! As more small reactors pop up, we could be looking at a smoother ride for energy bills down the line. But will customers be willing to fork out more for reliable, clean energy before the masses embrace these new reactors? It’s just like dating in your late twenties—hard to know if they’re worth the investment until you’ve put in a little effort!
The Future of Energy is Bright… and Nuclear?
Now, let’s not kid ourselves—this is just the beginning. Google is wheeling and dealing to secure 500 megawatts from small reactors thanks to a partnership with Kairos Power. And Amazon? They’re eyeing a cozy little corner near the North Anna nuclear power plant in Virginia for a reactor that could churn out a whopping 5,000 megawatts by the end of the 30s. That’s a fair amount of power! But don’t start tossing your old lamps off the balcony yet; that’s a mere fraction of what these giants need to keep their algorithms running at top speed.
In a world where zero emissions are the gold standard, and solar and wind renewables are nice but not everyone’s cup of tea (ever tried powering a data center with wind?), it seems our tech overlords are on a nuclear crusade. Google promises zero emissions by 2030, and Amazon follows suit in 2040. Let’s hope that by then we’re all set for a celebratory bonfire of outdated energy sources—where we roast marshmallows made purely from clean energy. Cheers to that!
So, there you have it, folks. Tech giants looking to nuclear for a greener future! Because what’s more reassuring than knowing your data is powered by something that could also potentially annihilate a city if things go south? Nervous yet?
