Meta was planning to build an artificial intelligence data center in the United States that would be powered by nuclear energy, and even knew where the facility would be built. However, according to the Financial Times, the company had to abandon its plans because a rare species of bees was discovered on the land reserved for the project. Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s CEO, was reportedly ready to strike a deal with the existing operator of the nuclear power plant that would have provided the power plant with emission-free energy. Last week at a general meeting, he told employees that the deal would not go through because the company would face numerous regulatory challenges related to the discovery of bees.
Zuckerberg reportedly told his employees that if the deal had gone through, Meta would have gotten the first artificial intelligence powered by nuclear energy. This could still become a reality if the company finds a way, but it must act quickly as its biggest competitors are also investing in nuclear power. In September, Microsoft announced that it intends to revive the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant to power its artificial intelligence developments. Meanwhile, Google has teamed up with startup Kairos Power to build seven small nuclear reactors in the US to power its data centers starting in 2030. And then there is Amazon, which in mid-October announced three deals with different companies to build small modular reactors.
The Times does not report whether Meta is looking for a new site, one that does not have rare bees nearby. One of its sources only said that Meta is still studying various proposals for using emission-free energy, including nuclear power, to power its future AI data centers.