CNBC's Bella Aldrete, Jacob Ward and Emily Pandise are reporting on nuclear power and the AI industry.
Tech firms and Silicon Valley billionaires, recognizing the increasing energy demands of rapidly growing artificial intelligence technologies, are investing heavily in nuclear energy as a sustainable power source essential for the green transition. The industry faces a challenge: while AI technologies like large language models expand quickly, nuclear power projects, heavily regulated and slow to advance, struggle to keep pace with the surging energy consumption. AI's environmental cost is significant, with some new servers potentially using more electricity annually than some small nations. Despite these challenges, figures like Sam Altman of OpenAI see AI and affordable green energy as crucial for a future of abundance, investing in nuclear startups aiming to power data centers and more. However, regulatory hurdles have proven challenging, with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission denying applications due to insufficient safety information. Meanwhile, the demand for clean, compact energy solutions grows as tech companies seek direct nuclear energy sources for their data centers. The nuclear power industry, despite its slow growth and historical setbacks, finds increasing public support amid the climate crisis, with new projects viewed as essential for meeting green energy targets and supporting burgeoning technology needs. Yet, experts caution against rushing the expansion of nuclear power, emphasizing the importance of a methodical regulatory process to avoid potential mistakes.
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Source: CNBC
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/07/the-ai-industry-is-pushing-a-nuclear-power-revival-partly-to-fuel-itself.html
