In 2024, Amazon, Google and Microsoft are particularly focused on artificial intelligence and the training of the resulting models, and their energy needs are exploding. Paradoxically, as the carbon neutrality deadline approaches for tech giants, their impact assessment is only increasing. The fault is a technological development which clearly does not rhyme with energy saving.
To hold on, these companies have until now had two approaches. The first, that of investing in renewable energies. The second, rather seen as a sleight of hand: invest in the purchase of renewable energy certificates. A way to compensate. All this couldn’t work for long. Needs continue to increase, and it is predicted by 2030 that 10% of the energy consumed in the United States will be dedicated to data center activity.
Renewable energies are no longer enough, and now the tech world is turning… to nuclear power. For the first time, Google has just made an announcement in this direction with the purchase of mini-nuclear reactors from the American startup Kairos Power. “ The initial phase of work aims to commission the first Kairos SMR by 2030, followed by deployment of additional reactors until 2035.detailed Google.
The nuclear reactors of Google, Amazon and Microsoft
The web giant joins Amazon and Microsoft, both of which have delved into the issue as well. Amazon, for its part, aims to build up to 15 data centers powered entirely by a nuclear power plant. For Microsoft, the integration of nuclear power materialized through a merger with the energy giant Constellation, to restart the Three Mile Island power plant project, abandoned in 2019.
Projects announced one after the other, from March to October 15, and which are already starting to arouse controversy. With Amazon, a problem sharing electricity from the Susquehanna power plant in Pennsylvania. It must be said that the production figures are particularly high. 480 MW for Amazon, 835 MW for Microsoft, and 500 MW for Google. The equivalent of billions of dollars of investment.
To restart the Three Mile Island power plant, for example, Constellation would already have to spend $1.8 billion out of its own pocket. The rest would be the responsibility of the tech giant. As for the contracts, they would include years of production: 20 years to start with the Microsoft project. For Google, the deployment of mini-reactors would already take 5 years. Note that Kairos, the startup with which it plans to deploy its centers, has still not built its first experimental reactor, scheduled for 2027.
When data centers overtake cities
In parallel with GAFAM, it will also be necessary to monitor OpenAI, in the midst of its financing operation, which will also have to invest massively in training its models. And on this point, the boss of the company behind ChatGPT has plans. According to him, between three and five nuclear reactors will be needed to produce electricity for the construction of new data centers. A total capacity reaching 5 GW, which would represent the electricity consumption of a city of 3 million inhabitants.
Note that since July, in Ireland, data center consumption has officially exceeded that of residents. On site, tech players like Google, Meta, Tiktok and Amazon.
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