28 March 1979 usa was about to live my life chernobyl, nuclear power station Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania suffered the most serious accident in the country’s history when the core of one of its reactors collapsed, causing its temperature to skyrocket and releasing radioactive gases into the atmosphere. cataclysm, which According to Greenpeace cases increased cancer And leukemia in neighboring cities forced officials to disinfect affected engines for decades. The second remained operational until 2019, when the plant closed due to financial problems. Now, for the fever artificial intelligence (AI) could revive this and with it the fears of climate activists.
last Friday, Microsoft announced an unprecedented agreement by which it will buy 100% of its energy For 20 years. If approved, this will happen for the first time usa It reactivates a destroyed nuclear power plant and for the first time puts all of its output at the service of a single company, not the community. Thus the computer giant will be able to obtain 835 megawatts, which is the electricity needed to power approximately 800,000 homes. The contract figures are a mystery at the moment.
More AI, More Energy
Microsoft deal reflects growing interest from tech industry nuclear powerThis change is due to the region’s intense commitment ayeA technology Which requires particularly high energy consumption. A response was generated with chatgptFor example, 10 times more is required Electricity than a search in GoogleTo continue commercial deployment and investment in AI, silicon Valley Dreams of a “great energy breakthrough” – he confessed in January Sam AltmanExecutive Director of OpenAI– As nuclear fusion,
Until it arrives, there is a need to find a massive, reliable energy source without carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) Emphasis has been laid to bet on this sector nuclear fissionConsidered “clean”. One-third of US nuclear plants are already negotiating deals with technology multinationals Amazon to feed their density data centersAs reported wall street journal“They contract with nuclear companies to guarantee their supply at a fixed price that avoids fluctuations from other sources. gas Or Renewable energy“Explains louis batetProfessor of Nuclear Engineering and Professor of Energy Resources at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.
The commitment to nuclear energy goes beyond the technology sector. 14 largest banks of the world He assured on Monday Which supports the plan to triple its global power by 2050. according to their mission international organization of nuclear energyThis source is helpful in promoting renewable energy. ecological transition,
Lenovo Tab Plus, a mid-range tablet with a 2K screen and 8 speakerssuspicion of workers
Although nuclear power does not emit greenhouse gases, its resurgence amid the digital sector also worries some environmental experts. On the one hand, there is the fear of a possible accident that would lead to disasters such as FukushimaA risk that, according to Batet, director of the Master in Nuclear Engineering at UPC, is “huge”.
On the other hand, there is management of nuclear wastehighly radioactive, which is for now Sealed storage is carried out undergroundAlthough experts approve of this solution, environmental organizations such as Greenpeace condemns This is a temporary patch, because “even deep geological storage has not been able to demonstrate that it will be able to hold the waste for the thousands of years without radioactive leakage that would be necessary.” Countries like Japan already recycle fuel It is spent on nuclear reactors to convert it into energy and thus reduce its future impact.
AI also revives gas and oil
Currently, data centers consume between 1% and 2% of global energy each year, almost twice that of Spain. If all that electricity came from nuclear sources, 50 to 60 plants would be needed. However, the commercial expansion of AI means that demand could grow by 160% to 4% in 2030, according to goldman sachs projection,
For big techNuclear energy is not enough. This is why its business ambitions are increasingly being supported fossil fuelMainly responsible for Climate changeA Investigation of atlantic It turns out that Microsoft sells the region the tools they use to discover and exploit new deposits Oil And gas. Although That alliance is not newAI opens up business opportunities worth up to $75 billion per year. As noted, the thirst for energy to fuel this technology has led to “U.S. energy companies planning new natural gas plants at the fastest pace in recent years.” bloomberg,
Cellnex improves connectivity on Barcelona’s coastThis greed is hurting the planet: according to calculations GuardianPolluting emissions from data centers of Google, Microsoft, Apple And Target They are probably 662% higher than what they reported. As indicated by the web search giant latest reportAI will only highlight its failure to deliver on its promises sustainability: “Reducing emissions may be a challenge as we integrate it into our products.”
