Meta is turning to nuclear energy as part of its artificial intelligence ambitions

Meta is turning to nuclear energy to fuel its artificial intelligence ambitions, issuing a request for proposals to work with nuclear energy developers.

This is much easier said than done. The first entirely recent nuclear reactor to be built in the US in decades started running in 2023 — seven years slow and $17 billion over budget. Developers are currently designing a next-generation technology called compact modular reactors (SMRs) that will make the project easier to build and locate, supposedly lowering costs. These advanced reactors are not expected to become commercially viable until the 2030s.

Meta says she’s interested in both SMR and larger reactorsand is looking for partners who will “ultimately enable, design, design, finance, build and operate these power plants.” Its goal is to add 1-4 gigawatts of recent nuclear power generation capacity in the U.S. by the early 2030s. For context 54 nuclear power plants across the country currently have a total capacity of approx 97 GW and generate approx 19 percent electricity mix in the US.

After decades of aging shutdown of reactorsThe nuclear power landscape is starting to change as companies look for ways to generate electricity without causing climate change-causing greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear power plants are increasingly seen as a carbon-free source of electricity that can replace solar and wind farms as the sun sets and the storms subside.

“We believe nuclear power will play a key role in the transition to a cleaner, more reliable and diverse electricity grid,” Meta said in a statement. He is not alone.

Given the long lead time to build a recent plant – and the fact that advanced technologies will still need to demonstrate they can operate at scale – all these risky nuclear deals are unlikely to aid the United States meet its short-term climate goals.