Microsoft has introduced an power deal to reopen the Three Mile Island nuclear energy plant on the Susquehanna River close to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Constellation Vitality, the plant’s present proprietor, is now set to convey Unit 1 again on-line for Microsoft. That can contain investing $1.6 billion to revive the reactor by 2028.
Whereas particulars stay unknown, Microsoft reportedly provided to purchase the plant’s output for 20 consecutive years.
Three Mile Island is greatest often called the positioning of probably the most severe nuclear accident in US historical past. In 1979, a partial meltdown occurred in certainly one of its reactors, sparking public concern and mistrust in nuclear energy.
The plant’s Unit 2 reactor, which melted down, was completely closed, however Unit 1 continued working till it was decommissioned in 2019 attributable to competitors from cheaper pure gasoline.
Microsoft says the deal can be pushed by its carbon-negative pledge by 2030. Nuclear power is a zero-carbon energy supply, although there are ongoing controversies over radioactive waste administration.
Constellation Vitality’s CEO Joseph Dominguez was constructive concerning the transfer, stating, “This plant never should have been allowed to shut down. It will produce as much clean energy as all of the renewables [wind and solar] built in Pennsylvania over the last 30 years.”
Constellation Vitality said that “Significant investments” have to be made within the plant, together with upgrading and renovating the “turbine, generator, main power transformer, and cooling and control systems.”
The rising energy calls for of AI
Microsoft’s resolution to faucet into nuclear energy exhibits as soon as once more the staggering power necessities of AI and supporting knowledge heart know-how.
The corporate has been increasing its knowledge facilities worldwide, with many of those services devoted to supporting AI workloads, together with the coaching and deployment of fashions that require huge quantities of computational energy.
Coaching giant AI fashions can devour 1000’s of megawatt-hours (MWh) of electrical energy.
In response to some sources, OpenAI’s GPT-3, as an example, required over 1,200 MWh to coach, which might energy tens of 1000’s of houses for a day.
A whole lot, if not 1000’s, of highly effective AI fashions are actively being educated at anyone time right this moment. AI fashions require energy not simply throughout coaching but in addition for day-to-day operations.
This surge in power demand from AI is a part of a broader development. The Worldwide Vitality Company (IEA) estimates that knowledge facilities at present account for 1.3% of worldwide electrical energy consumption, and that is set to rise considerably, with AI infrastructure driving a lot of the rise.
By 2030, knowledge facilities might devour as much as 8% of the world’s electrical energy, additional straining power grids already stretched skinny by rising reliance on digital companies and electrical automobiles.
Coal and nuclear to take up the slack
Whereas the deal with nuclear power highlights the tech business’s want for low-carbon options, AI’s demand for energy is remarkably respiratory new life into coal.
In response to a Bloomberg report from earlier within the yr, the speedy growth of information facilities is delaying the shutdown of coal crops throughout the US, defying the push for cleaner power sources.
In areas like Kansas Metropolis, for instance, the development of information facilities and electrical automobile battery factories has compelled utility suppliers to halt plans to retire coal crops.
Microsoft’s resolution to energy its AI operations with nuclear power brings the broader dialog of AI sustainability into sharp focus.
With the tech business’s progress outpacing power provides, revolutionary options are wanted to bridge the hole between demand and manufacturing. OpenAI, for instance, has actively invested in Helion, a nuclear fusion challenge set to come back on-line quickly.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman mentioned on X, “If Helion works, it not only is a potential way out of the climate crisis but a path towards a much higher quality of life. Have loved being involved for the last 7 years and excited to be investing more.”
Regardless of its controversies, nuclear energy provides a reputable resolution to AI’s power calls for, significantly in areas struggling to transition totally to renewable power.
However the stakes are excessive. Constructing and sustaining nuclear crops nonetheless requires immense sources, and nuclear waste is difficult to get rid of. Many will see this as trivializing decarbonization and renewable power methods.
We must always say that that is nonetheless early days for the Microsoft-Constellation Eneergy deal.
Nonetheless, unique, personal offers like this are exceptionally uncommon, displaying how energy within the AI business hinges on energy within the literal sense.
