Giorgia Burzachechi Big tech companies like Microsoft and Google want to invest heavily in nuclear energy to power their artificial intelligence projects. But this time, a rare species of insect has forced Meta to abandon plans for a data center near a nuclear power plant, due to strict environmental protection regulations.
A spate of major technology companies in recent weeks announced plans for nuclear energy to help meet an expanding demand for power needed to cool AI-driven server farms.
In the last few months, Microsoft signed an agreement with Constellation Energy to restart the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, in efforts to help supply electricity needs at data centers handling AI and cloud computing workloads.
Even Italy’s President Meloni, during the opening speech at COP29, highlighted the need to “diversify the energy mix”—with a clear reference to nuclear fusion—to address the increasing global demand for energy driven by factors such as AI and population growth.
It also showed the Financial Times reporting that Meta had preliminary discussions with an undisclosed operator of a nuclear plant regarding its deal to build a data center in the United States meant to support AI development.
However, during a recent all-hands meeting, the CEO of Meta announced that plans by the company were disrupted after the discovery of a rare insect species near the proposed site, which had similar characteristics to bees. According to the financial daily, it would seem strict regulations to protect this endemic species consequently forced the company to abandon the project.
According to a list compiled by Covering Climate Now, a project launched by the Columbia Journalism Review, a dozen of the leaders of major corporations have made major contributions to the deterioration of the climate crisis; often the regulations are dispensed with. Among these is the inventor of Facebook and the company he founded, Meta Platforms.
In its most recent earnings report, Meta said it “expects significant growth in infrastructure spending next year” and a “sharp increase in capital expenditures in 2025,” driven at least partly by its work on artificial intelligence.
Source: Financial Times
