Data centers with artificial intelligence and cloud computing are pushing energy demand and production to new limits. According to the US Department of Energy and the technology industry, global electricity consumption could increase by up to 75% by 2050 AI ambitions is driving much of the increase.
Data centers powering AI and cloud computing could soon become so large that this is the case They could use more electricity than entire cities.
As the frontrunners in the AI competition push for further technological advances and deployment, many are finding that their energy needs are increasingly at odds with their sustainability goals.
“A new data center that requires the same amount of power as, say, Chicago can’t easily solve the problem if it doesn’t understand its power needs,” said Mark Nelson, managing director of Radiant Energy Group. “This demand for electricity. Continuous, non-stop, 100% power, 24 hours a day, 365 hours,” he added.
After years of focusing on renewable energy, major technology companies are now turning to nuclear energy because of its ability to provide massive amounts of energy in a more efficient and sustainable way.
Google, Amazon, Microsoft And Meta are among the best-known names researching or investing in nuclear energy projects. Driven by the energy demands of their data centers and AI models, their announcements mark the start of an industry-wide trend.
“What we see is that nuclear power has a lot of benefits,” said Michael Terrell, senior director of energy and climate at Google. “It is a carbon-free source of electricity. It is a power source that can be turned on and operating at any time. And it offers huge economic impact.”
After nuclear power was largely written off in the past due to widespread fears of meltdowns and safety risks — and misinformation that dramatized those concerns — experts are touting recent investments in the tech industry as such the beginning of a “nuclear revival”.“That could speed things up Energy transition in the USA and around the world.
Watch the video Above, learn why Big Tech is investing in nuclear energy, the resistance they face, and when their nuclear ambitions might actually become a reality.
