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Meta announced it is searching for nuclear energy developers to work with to power its AI and sustainability visions, in its latest push to use nuclear power.
In a blog post on Tuesday (December 3) the technology giant stated it will release a request for proposals “to identify nuclear energy developers” in an open approach to partner with others across the industry to bring new nuclear energy to the grid.
The use of this energy has become much sought after in recent times due to the significant AI boom.
Meta says it’s the advancement of technologies, including the next wave of AI innovation, that requires “electric grids to expand and embrace new sources of reliable, clean and renewable energy.”
They believe this will help provide firm and baseload power to support the growth needs of the electric grids that power its data centers.
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 Mark Zuckerberg's Meta joins Amazon and Google to back nuclear energy to power Ai data centers – Axios pic.twitter.com/ihHF6h3M6W
— Radar🚨 (@RadarHits) December 3, 2024
This comes after Google signed the first corporate deal to buy nuclear energy from small modular reactors in mid-October.
Plan to add 1-4 GW of nuclear energy generation capacity, Meta says
The company that owns Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Threads aims to add 1-4 GW of new nuclear generation capacity in the U.S. to be delivered starting in the early 2030s.
“We are looking to identify developers that can help accelerate the availability of new nuclear generators and create sufficient scale to achieve material cost reductions by deploying multiple units, both to provide for Meta’s future energy needs and to advance broader industry decarbonization.
“We believe working with partners who will ultimately permit, design, engineer, finance, construct, and operate these power plants will ensure the long-term thinking necessary to accelerate nuclear technology.”
In comparison to renewable energy, nuclear energy projects are more capital intensive, take longer to develop, are subject to more regulatory requirements but have a longer expected operational life.
The company states this means they have to begin engaging in these projects “earlier in their development lifecycle and consider their operational requirements when designing a contract.”
Meta has been working with the renewable energy industry for more than a decade and they’re now looking to replicate this with developers in nuclear energy technology.
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
