- Microsoft and Oracle absent from the nuclear commitment signed by Amazon, Meta and Google
- Its objective is triple nuclear capacity for 2050 to support global energy needs.
- Nuclear seen as key to feeding data centers promoted by AI with clean energy
Even through Microsoft it is seriously exploring nuclear energy as a way of feeding its data centers, even signing an agreement in 2024 to buy energy from the nuclear plant of the island of three miles restarted (TMI): it is remarkably absent from a new promise of energy users that supports the global expansion of nuclear capacity.
That commitment has attracted the main signatories such as Amazon, Meta and Google, but neither Microsoft nor Oracle, who are also exploring nuclear energy, are on the list.
Directed by the World Nuclear Association, the promise was first introduced into the World Nuclear Symposium in September 2023, and has won the support of 14 main global banks and financial institutions, 140 companies in the nuclear industry and 31 countries.
Clean energy around the day
Its purpose is to conduct the “essential role of nuclear energy in the home to improve energy safety, resistance and provide continuous clean energy”, and establishes a goal to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050.
Nuclear energy currently provides about 9% of the world’s electricity through 439 reactors.
The call to action goes beyond traditional energy applications. It also describes the nuclear potential to meet high demand sectors such as data centers, where the increase in artificial intelligence has increased energy needs.
While generally has been building an atomic plant, nuclear micro reactors, which is expected to be available in the early 2030s, could be a faster and more cheap solution to feed large -scale computing operations.
“We are proud to sign a promise in support of the triplication of nuclear capacity by 2050, since nuclear energy will be fundamental in the construction of a reliable, safe and sustainable future,” Lucia Tian, the head of energy technologies and decarbonization of clean energy of Google said.
“Google will continue working together with our partners to accelerate the commercialization of advanced nuclear technologies that can provide clean energy throughout the year necessary to meet the growing demand for electricity worldwide.”
That message was resonated by Urvi Parekh, head of global energy at the finish line. “As global economies expand, the need for a reliable, clean and resilient energy supply is essential. Nuclear energy, with its ability to provide continuous energy, can help meet this growing demand. We are excited to unite together with this multiple effort with triplicate nuclear understanding of reiterating our commitment to nuclear energy.”
Brandon Oyer, Chief of Energy and Water of America for AWS, emphasized the urgency of climbing nuclear energy. “Accelerating the development of nuclear energy will be essential to strengthen the safety of our nation, meet future energy demands and address climate change. Amazon supports the promise of the world nuclear association, and is proud to have invested more than $ 1 billion in the last year in nuclear energy projects and technologies, which is part of our broader commitment of climate commitment to be net-carbon by 2040”. “
You can see the promise of great energy users, which is signed by Meta, Amazon, Google and ten other companies, with a support statement by Siemens Energy, here (PDF).
