Data centres and nuclear energy: Big Tech companies focus on cutting energy consumption
The introduction of nuclear powered data centres is a new trend which could, over time, completely revolutionise the technology sector.
With growing demand for power to support digital applications and the expansion of artifical intelligence, data centres have become some of the biggest consumers of electricity.
Big tech firms such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon are starting to look for valid alternatives to meet this need and are focusing especially on the use of more sustainable energy sources.
In this context, nuclear power could be a promising solution, as it is able to provide a stable power source without producing carbon emissions.
The acceleration towards nuclear powered data centres
Although Big Tech companies have invested heavily in wind and solar power in the past, these sources are subject to certain limitations which cannot be ignored. The main ones are:
- they are not constantly available;
- they require the use of batteries to store energy.
As part of efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, the big companies have therefore started to consider nuclear energy as a more reliable alternative way of powering their data centres without producing greenhouse gas emissions.
According to experts, nuclear energy is the best solution currently available to ensure sustainable growth in the technology industry, as, unlike renewable sources which are susceptible to meteorogical variations, it is able to guarantee a continuous power supply.
In recent years, tech giants have reached agreements with nuclear power station operators and engineers to supply energy for their data centres. This big change of direction has been mainly due to the boom in artificial intelligence, which has led to a considerable rise in the demand for energy.
Microsoft, for example, has invested in reactivating a closed nuclear plant at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, Amazon while Google has taken a chance on a new kind of technology with great potential, which involves the use of small modular reactors (SMR).
Small modular reactors: an opportunity for the future
As mentioned above, Google and Amazon are focusing on projects involving the use of small modular reactors by start-ups including Kairos Power and X-Energy. This technology is based on units which can be produced in series, thereby reducing costs and construction times. Each single reactor is valued at around one billion dollars and in future, they could be installed directly into nuclear powered data centres in order to reduce losses caused during transmission.
Bill Gates, the well-known founder of the Microsoft colossus, has already invested around a billion dollars in the start-up TerraPower, which is developing a very similar kind of technology to the one mentioned above. This approach could contribute towards relaunching the American nuclear power sector, particularly in light of the fact that only two new reactors have been built on Amerian soil in recent decades.
The role of the government and the challenge of regulation
The US government actively supports the transition to nuclear energy. President Joe Biden recently signed a law to boost he development of new projects, considered essential in reducing carbon emissions and supporting the growth of the digital economy. Nuclear energy, which currently supplies around 20% of the country’s electricity, is therefore viewed as a key resource in meeting the nation’s future energy needs.
Nevertheless, concerns remain regarding issues such as the huge expenditure which the new reactors entail, the length of time required for their construction, as well as the management of radioactive waste. In the last sixty years, over half of US nuclear projects have been cancelled before completion due to them exceeding their budget or being affected by lengthy delays.
Despite this scepticism regarding the risks and costs mentioned above, tech companies are still prepared to take a chance on this energy source to satisfy the rising energy demands associated with data centres. The right combination of technological innovation, governmental support and private investment could lead to a genuine relaunch of nuclear power, capable of ensuring a more sustainable future, an option which is well worth exploring.
Translated by Joanne Beckwith
