Meta has faced a setback in its plan to build nuclear-powered data centers. F.T. reports CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees last week that the land where they planned to build a new data center had been discovered to be home to a rare species of bees, which would complicate the construction process.

Amazon also faced a recent setback after the government on Monday rejected a request To increase the amount of power a nuclear power plant can direct to one of its data centers. Currently, 300 megawatts are allowed to be used from the Susquehanna power plant, but 480 megawatts were originally sought.

Big tech companies have gone all-in on nuclear energy, as every triggering of their AI models requires boiling the ocean for energy. Large language models require more inference or thinking than a traditional search. But the big tech farm has bet on productive AI for its future growth potential; Zuckerberg said he envisions a world with social feeds. Filled with AI-generated content according to your interests. It can also be useful in other ways, such as advanced ad targeting.

The jury is still out on whether this investment in productive AI will bear fruit. Adoption of products like Microsoft Copilot, at least in the enterprise sector where customers are more likely to pay for tools became lifeless due to unreliable performance. Copilot subscriptions cost $30 a month, and it’s difficult to gauge whether tools like automated document drafting are worth the money. Output from AI often requires a lot of editing, which can eliminate time savings.

At the very least, all this investment in AI that shows Mario flying into the Twin Towers could at least lead to the US having a lot more clean energy. Honestly, let’s make ChatGPT calls less efficient if it means we can counterintuitively help the environment. It will produce more good than the metaverse does.

Microsoft pays Billions of dollars to reopen Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island Nuclear power plant that has been offline for five years. The company will be We pay a huge premium It is above existing solar and wind power, but the appeal of nuclear is that it provides a consistent flow of energy without clumping. While nuclear seems to be making a resurgence, it’s still unclear how many Americans would be okay with having a nuclear power plant near their home.

Microsoft, Google and others have set lofty goals for carbon neutrality in previous years but have acknowledged that massive investments in artificial intelligence have pushed back those goals. Microsoft said earlier this year: Emissions increased by at least 29% Since 2020 due to AI investment.