How bees thwarted Meta’s plan for a nuclear-powered AI data centre

Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has hit a stumbling block in its ambitious plan to power its AI data centre with nuclear energy, thanks to an unexpected environmental obstacle: rare bees.

Reports first highlighted by Financial Times on November 4th revealed that environmental regulators halted the project after surveyors discovered an unspecified species of pollinators on the land slated for development.

The site had been chosen for its proximity to a nuclear plant that would have supplied energy to Meta’s AI operations.

During a company-wide meeting, Zuckerberg confirmed the cancellation, expressing that the project had previously positioned Meta to potentially become the first company to leverage nuclear power for AI data centre use. Meta’s silence on further details leaves many questions unanswered about the exact type of bee or the specific nuclear plant involved.

More from Tech

India ranks among top global AI powers, says Ashwini Vaishnaw at Davos 6G is coming: How close are we and how India is preparing for it

The demand for energy among tech giants like Meta has surged with increasing investments in AI technology. Data centres designed to support AI workloads significantly contribute to rising emissions. Microsoft recently disclosed a 29 per cent increase in greenhouse gas emissions since 2020, attributing this spike to new AI-oriented data centres.

Similarly, Google reported up to a 48 per cent increase in pollution levels since 2019 for similar reasons. In a sustainability report from July, Google researchers acknowledged the difficulty in reducing emissions while incorporating more AI into their services.

Quick Reads

View All

Meta’s Superintelligence Lab delivers first major AI models internally, confirms CTO

6G is coming: How close are we and how India is preparing for it

The sheer scale of energy consumption for AI projects has sparked criticism and concern among environmentalists. For context, an AI-integrated search query can consume up to ten times the energy of a standard search, roughly equal to keeping a light bulb illuminated for 20 minutes.

In response, major tech players are turning to nuclear energy as a potential solution. Microsoft plans to revive the Three Mile Island nuclear plant for AI purposes, while Amazon is investing heavily in a partnership with the Susquehanna nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. Google is exploring the use of modular “mini” nuclear reactors.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission notes that 94 commercial reactors at 55 nuclear power plants across 28 states generate about 20 per cent of the country’s energy. The specific bee species causing Meta’s setback remains unidentified, though experts point to potential culprits.

Purdue University’s assistant professor of entomology, Brock Harpur, noted that if the site is in California, it could involve protected bumblebee species. The state’s only active nuclear plant, Diablo Canyon Power Plant, might have been in Meta’s sights if they intended to stay competitive in AI. However, the regulatory process for nuclear plant approval and development is notoriously long and complex.

Harpur also speculated that if the site were elsewhere in the Midwest or East Coast, the endangered Rusty Patched Bumblebee, protected since 2017, could have been the reason for the regulatory roadblock.

This latest setback for Meta underscores the growing tension between rapid technological advancement and environmental preservation, as companies grapple with sustainable ways to power their data-hungry AI endeavours.