As the number of parameters in AI models grows exponentially, the power consumption of the data centers required has become one of the biggest challenges facing tech giants. Following Microsoft's reopening of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, Meta recently announced agreements with three energy companies—Vistra, TerraPower, and Oklo—to acquire up to 6.6 GW of nuclear power over the next decade to power its increasingly massive AI infrastructure and the Prometheus supercomputer cluster in Ohio.
Betting on next-generation nuclear energy technologies: TerraPower and Oklo
For the construction of new nuclear energy facilities, Meta selected two highly representative startups.
First, there's the collaboration with TerraPower, where Meta will fund the development of two sodium-cooled reactors using "Natrium" technology. This agreement is expected to be operational as early as 2032, initially providing 690MW of power, with the option to expand further, aiming to increase power generation to 2.1GW by 2035 through six additional reactors.
Secondly, there's the partnership with Oklo. Notably, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is one of Oklo's major investors (holding approximately 4% of the shares). Meta anticipates launching the first nuclear power units supplied by Oklo as early as 2030, with a total capacity of up to 1.2GW. This partnership will involve building multiple reactors in Ohio, expected to create numerous local jobs.
Continuing existing production capacity: Vistra
In addition to investing in new technologies, Meta has also signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Vistra, focusing on maintaining the operational lifespan of existing nuclear power plants and increasing capacity. Meta will purchase more than 2.1 GW of electricity from Vistra's existing nuclear power plant in Ohio, while also funding expansion projects at that plant and its Pennsylvania plant, which are expected to add an additional 433 MW of power in the early 2030s.
The "Nuclear Arms Race" among Tech Giants
Meta's major strategic move once again highlights how Silicon Valley tech companies are actively turning to nuclear energy as a solution for AI development.
Training and inference of AI models are extremely power-intensive, and traditional renewable energy sources (such as wind and solar power) are limited by weather conditions, making it difficult to provide the 24-hour stable baseload power required by data centers. Therefore, in addition to Meta's cooperation with [other organizations] last year...Constellation EnergyBeyond signing the agreement, Microsoft has also made a major move by planning to restart the famous Three Mile Island nuclear power plant to monopolize its electricity. Clearly, in an era where computing power is synonymous with national power, whoever controls a stable and clean power supply will go further in the AI arena.
