Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is seeking proposals from developers to deliver between 1GW and 4GW of reactor capacity starting in the early 2030s, according to a statement. Commercial nuclear reactors generate about 1GW of electricity, enough to power 750,000 typical homes.
Meta is racing to secure clean energy to meet the massive electricity demands of its artificial intelligence ambitions. Like fellow tech giants Amazon.com and Google, it is now pursuing nuclear power, a tantalizing but challenging energy source. Reactors promise clean energy around the clock, but electric utilities have shown little interest in building them due to their high cost and long construction timelines. Deep-pocketed technology companies may be able to accelerate the development of the next wave of nuclear plants.
"They are willing to take on a little more of the early financial risk," said Adam Stein, director of nuclear energy innovation at the Breakthrough Institute research organization. "Utility companies are not keeping pace with technology companies' needs."
