Meta Taps Nuclear Energy to Power AI and Meet Soaring Data Center Demands by 2030

Meta is turning to nuclear power to address its growing AI and data center energy needs, planning to add up to 4 GW of U.S. nuclear capacity by the early 2030s as energy demand triples.

Meta Looks to Nuclear Energy for AI and Environmental Goals

Joining the ranks of other major tech companies showing interest in nuclear power in anticipation of an anticipated surge in electricity demand, Meta announced on Tuesday that it is soliciting proposals from developers of nuclear power as a means to achieve its environmental and artificial intelligence objectives, Reuters reports.

In a press statement, the business stated its intention to increase the United States' nuclear generation capacity by 1 to 4 gigawatts beginning in the early 2030s. About 1 gigawatt is the usual capacity of a nuclear power station in the United States.

"At Meta, we believe nuclear energy will play a pivotal role in the transition to a cleaner, more reliable, and diversified electric grid," a release from the company stated.

Surging Data Center Energy Demands and Industry Challenges

In the United States, data center power consumption is projected to almost quadruple from 2023 to 2030, necessitating around 47 gigawatts of additional generation capacity, as estimated by Goldman Sachs.

Companies confront a number of challenges when trying to use nuclear reactors to quickly meet the increasing demand for electricity. These include local opposition, a potentially overworked U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and difficulties in obtaining uranium fuel.

In September, Microsoft and Constellation Energy made headlines when they announced a partnership to reactivate a data center unit at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island plant. This would be a first of its kind. That news came after Amazon.com and Talen Energy had already reached a comparable arrangement in March, when the former bought a data center fueled by nuclear power.

Meta Seeks Innovative Nuclear Solutions

Per Investing.com, Meta is looking for developers that have experience in community participation, development, and permitting. They could be interested in either smaller modular reactors, which are a new and uncommercialized sector of the industry, or larger nuclear reactors like the ones in the United States today.

According to Meta, developers interested in participating in the request for proposals have until January 3, 2025, to submit their entries.

Nuclear Energy’s Long-Term Potential for Clean Power

The business justified its use of the RFP process by pointing out that nuclear power plants are more expensive to build, take longer to complete, and are subject to stricter regulations than other forms of renewable energy, such as wind and solar power.

"An RFP process will allow us to approach these projects thoroughly and thoughtfully with these considerations in mind," according to the report.