I’ve been monitoring the trajectory of Synthetic Intelligence for years, and if there may be one factor I’ve discovered, it’s this: Intelligence requires energy. And I don’t imply political energy; I imply uncooked, unadulterated electrical energy.
For a very long time, the tech trade tried to persuade us (and maybe themselves) that wind and photo voltaic can be sufficient to energy the digital revolution. However as I take a look at the sheer scale of the information facilities rising from the bottom right now, it’s clear that the equation has modified.
This week, Meta—Mark Zuckerberg’s empire—dropped a bombshell that confirms what I’ve suspected for some time. They aren’t simply shopping for power anymore; they’re basically reshaping the American power grid. Meta has signed agreements to safe a staggering 6.6 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear power capability by 2035.
To place that into perspective, 6.6 GW is roughly the output of six or seven customary nuclear reactors. It is sufficient to energy thousands and thousands of properties. However Meta isn’t powering toaster ovens; they’re powering the brains of the long run.
Right here is my deep dive into what this deal means, why “baseload” is the brand new buzzword, and why the atom is making a comeback in Silicon Valley.
Why Photo voltaic and Wind Simply Aren’t Reducing It
I like renewable power. Seeing photo voltaic farms glisten within the desert is improbable. However right here is the exhausting reality about coaching huge AI fashions like Llama 4 or 5: They don’t sleep.
An AI knowledge heart operates at peak capability 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.
Photo voltaic goes away when the solar units.Wind stops when the air continues to be.
This intermittency is a nightmare for a supercomputer that wants a gentle, flat line of energy—what engineers name “baseload energy.” Till battery expertise makes a quantum leap, nuclear is the one carbon-free supply that gives that sort of reliability at this scale.
Meta’s transfer tells me that they’re performed taking dangers with grid stability. They’re constructing their very own power fortress.
The Three Titans: Who Is Meta Partnering With?
I dug into the main points of the announcement, and this isn’t a single contract. It’s a strategic alliance with three main gamers, every bringing one thing totally different to the desk.
1. TerraPower: The Invoice Gates Connection
That is the half that excites the tech geek in me. Meta is backing TerraPower, an organization based by Invoice Gates, to deploy their Natrium expertise.
The Tech: These aren’t your grandfather’s reactors. Natrium reactors use liquid sodium for cooling as a substitute of water, which makes them safer and extra environment friendly.The Plan: They’re aiming to carry two items on-line by 2032, offering about 690 MW.My Take: It is a guess on innovation. Meta is actually funding the R&D of next-gen nuclear physics.
2. Oklo: The Futuristic Campus
If TerraPower is the heavy hitter, Oklo is the agile disruptor.
Meta and Oklo are planning a large nuclear campus able to producing 1.2 GW by 2030.They use the “Aurora Powerhouse” design—quick reactors that may really run on recycled nuclear gasoline.I discover this fascinating as a result of it solves two issues without delay: it generates energy and reduces nuclear waste.
3. Vistra: The Muscle on the Floor
Whereas the opposite two are constructing the long run, Vistra is dealing with the current.
Meta signed 20-year agreements to tug over 2.1 GW from Vistra’s present nuclear fleet.They’re additionally funding bodily upgrades to those vegetation to squeeze out each final megawatt of capability.
The “Prometheus” Issue: Why Ohio?
All of this power has a vacation spot. A good portion is headed to the Midwest, particularly to help Meta’s Prometheus supercluster in Ohio.
I’ve written earlier than about how geography is future within the AI race. Ohio is quickly changing into the silicon heartland, not due to the climate, however due to the grid potential. By situating Prometheus there and feeding it with nuclear energy, Meta is creating an AI coaching floor that’s immune to grease value shocks or climate patterns.
What This Means for the Way forward for Tech
Studying between the strains, I see a couple of main shifts taking place:
Large Tech is Changing into Large Vitality: Amazon purchased a nuclear-powered knowledge heart campus earlier this yr. Microsoft is restarting Three Mile Island. Now Meta is doing this. These corporations are successfully changing into utilities.The Finish of “Greenwashing”: This isn’t about shopping for carbon credit to look good. That is about bodily infrastructure. It’s a recognition that the digital world has a really heavy bodily footprint.A Nuclear Renaissance: After many years of stagnation, the demand from AI is single-handedly reviving the US nuclear trade.
Last Ideas
I used to suppose the bottleneck for AI can be chips—getting sufficient H100s from Nvidia. However as I watch these mega-deals unfold, I’m realizing the true bottleneck is the plug within the wall.
Meta’s 6.6 GW gamble is an announcement: They consider the AI revolution is simply getting began, and they’re keen to separate atoms to make sure they keep on the entrance of the pack.
It’s daring, it’s costly, and actually? It’s precisely what I’d do if I had been them.
What do you suppose? Is it proper for tech corporations to eat this a lot of the nation’s power capability, or is that this the required value of progress? Let’s speak within the feedback.
