Meta seeks advice from nuclear power developers to help meet its AI goals

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Meta announced plans Tuesday to release a request for proposals targeting 1-4 gigawatts of new nuclear generation capacity in the US aimed at supporting artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and sustainability objectives.

"Advancing technologies that will build the future of human connection -- including the next wave of AI innovation -- requires electric grids to expand and embrace new sources of reliable, clean and renewable energy," Facebook's parent company said.

The technology giant is seeking nuclear energy developers with expertise in community engagement, development, permitting and project execution.

The company said it believes nuclear energy can provide reliable, clean baseload power for its expanding data center infrastructure and the communities around them.

The company aims to add 1-4 gigawatts of new nuclear generation capacity by the early 2030s.

Considering that a typical US household consumes around 10,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, a power plant with a capacity of 1 gigawatts could power approximately 876,000 households for one year.

By investing in nuclear energy, the company said it hopes to contribute to a cleaner and diversified electric grid.

"As we look ahead to our next decade of innovation and growth, we are planning for our data center energy needs while simultaneously contributing to a reliable grid," Meta said.