Meta seeking nuclear partner for AI ambitions

Meta, parent company of Facebook and major player in the AI race, has announced that it wants to solicit proposals to build out a nuclear power solution for its AI ambitions. The company is looking to build out a 1-4 gigawatt, US-based nuclear solution that will be able to sustainably power its data centers and nearby communities. The company's announcement laid out a timeline of "early 2030s" for the energy to begin being delivered, meaning that any company that steps up will have less than 10 years to plan, build, and begin regular operation. 

This latest push is one of Meta's largest yet. The goal, between 1 and 4 gigawatts, utterly dwarfs existing contracts the company holds in the renewable energy space, which the press release puts at around 12,000 megawatts. This would also be the first time that Meta has involved itself directly in the creation of a nuclear power solution from the start. The announcement is rife with statements reaffirming the company's faith in nuclear energy as a sustainable source that will fit its needs, and the needs of an ever more demanding population, for years to come. 

Meta's timeline goal is likely going to be a photo finish; building and operating the average nuclear plant is a massive undertaking that can sometimes stretch out to take longer than a decade. The system that Meta wants to have built will boast a capacity that's nearly in league with some of the largest reactors in the world. Japan's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, for instance, is one of the biggest out there, and is capable of producing just under 8 gigawatts.