Mark Zuckerberg's Nuclear-Powered AI Ambitions At Meta Stung By Rare Bees

Meta Platforms, Inc. META has reportedly hit a roadblock in its plans to construct a nuclear-powered AI data center in the U.S. The discovery of a rare bee species on the proposed site has disrupted the project.

What Happened: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had planned to collaborate with an existing nuclear power plant operator to provide emissions-free electricity for the new data center.

However, the project encountered several hurdles, including environmental and regulatory issues, reported Financial Times, citing people familiar with the matter.

The rare bee species found on the land adjacent to the plant, where the data center was to be built, added to the project’s challenges. Zuckerberg shared this information during a company-wide meeting last week.

Despite the setback, Meta is still investigating various carbon-free energy alternatives, including nuclear.

Meta did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.

Why It Matters: The tech industry’s increasing demand for electricity to fuel the AI boom has led to a significant shift towards nuclear power.

Meta’s rivals, Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN, Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG GOOGL Google, and Microsoft Corporation MSFT have inked deals with nuclear power plant operators to cater to their data centers’ growing energy needs.

In September, Microsoft revealed plans to reactivate the dormant nuclear facility at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania.

In March, Amazon invested $650 million to establish a data center adjacent to the Susquehanna Steam Electric nuclear plant, also located in Pennsylvania.

Last month, Google announced its intention to purchase power from small modular reactor (SMR) developer Kairos Power.

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