Many technology experts have claimed we are in the middle of the fourth industrial revolution, and in this revolution, AI is undoubtedly at the forefront. However, AI needs a lot of power to be developed. In response, tech giant Microsoft just signed a deal to revive the abandoned Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to help fuel their AI revolution.
If the deal goes through, regulators will then grant Microsoft exclusive rights to the entirety of the plant’s energy output for its AI data center.
It seems a deal is extremely likely to go through because Constellation, the owner of the plant, announced a purchase power agreement on Friday, September 20th that would see the plant going back online in 2028.
The reactor Microsoft plans to use was last online in 2019
The reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant was last used in 2019 and was retired for economic reasons. However, it is worth mentioning that the reactor is located next to a unit that was shut down in 1979 after the United States’ worst nuclear incident.
This accident occurred on March 28, 1979 and involved a partial meltdown of the reactor core at unit 2 of the plant. Despite there being no immediate radiation-related deaths, the incident resulted in paranoia over the use of nuclear energy in the United States.
Nevertheless, the plant that Constellation is going to reopen can generate 837 megawatts of energy, which is enough to power almost 800,000 homes. This really puts into perspective the kind of energy that Microsoft needs to fulfill its AI revolution.
Microsoft has agreed to buy power from the plant, and if the deal goes through, it be renamed Crane Clean Energy Center after Chris Crane, the former CEO of Exelon, one of the largest energy corporations in the United States.
Microsoft’s greenhouse gas emissions have risen thanks to their focus on AI
Microsoft is known for having ambitious climate goals that have since been put at risk due to their focus on developing artificial intelligence. For instance, the company had previously aimed to reduce its carbon footprint by more than half by 2030. Perhaps more significantly, the company had previously aimed to be carbon neutral by the year 2050.
Despite these goals being at risk thanks to the company’s pursuit of AI, Bloomberg has reported that the nuclear power plant will help Microsoft run its data centers on clean energy by 2025 in four states.
Microsoft has bet on next-generation nuclear power plants to help them fuel their data centers and overall AI revolution, and it is really no surprise given that co-founder Bill Gates is a big believer in nuclear energy.
However, implementing this strategy will not be easy given that Constellation will invest almost $1.6 billion to revive the plant and is still awaiting many licenses to do so. The deal is of course still to be approved by regulators, which only complicates things further.