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Nuclear Energy's AI Boom Blew a Fuse–Here's What Could Happen Next

7 points by perihelions 2y ago

the_economist 2y ago
New power plants are likely at least a decade away. The current AI boom will have to be powered by natural gas or by reactivating old nuclear plants. Perhaps this will incentivize companies like Google, Apple, and Amazon to promote natural gas as the comparatively clean and extremely cheap (amazing) power source that it is.
startupsfail 2y ago
Just in case, for long term safety reasons I’d suggest avoiding powering AI with Nuclear Energy. A dependency on sunlight is a good incentive to keep the atmosphere in a good condition.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  The alternative to nuclear isn’t solar, it’s gas. We’re already deploying solar and wind and batteries as quickly as we can. Follow the money: the anti-nuclear establishment is now funded by gas. (Which is being deployed at a similar clip to solar.)
  - perihelions 2y ago
    (I believe the parent was making a poorly-advised Matrix joke).
- fsflover 2y ago
  Nuclear energy is one of the safest already.
atomic128 2y ago
The clean, dense, non-intermittent power provided by nuclear reactors is extremely valuable. Unless you are located near a hydroelectric dam, there is really no substitute. The government will not allow the technology companies to "hog" existing reactors. Presumably this will force the technology companies to build their own reactors. Good. I'll end with a quote from Yann LeCun (Vice-President, Chief AI Scientist at Meta): AI datacenters will be built next to energy production sites that can produce gigawatt-scale, low-cost, low-emission electricity continuously. Basically, next to nuclear power plants. The advantage is that there is no need for expensive and wasteful long-distance distribution infrastructure. Note: Yes, solar and wind are nice and all, but they require lots of land and massive-scale energy storage systems for when there is too little sun and/or wind. Neither simple nor cheap. https://x.com/ylecun/status/1837875035270263014 https://x.com/ylecun/status/1837875035270263014

7 points by perihelions 2y ago

New power plants are likely at least a decade away. The current AI boom will have to be powered by natural gas or by reactivating old nuclear plants. Perhaps this will incentivize companies like Google, Apple, and Amazon to promote natural gas as the comparatively clean and extremely cheap (amazing) power source that it is.

startupsfail 2y ago

Just in case, for long term safety reasons I’d suggest avoiding powering AI with Nuclear Energy. A dependency on sunlight is a good incentive to keep the atmosphere in a good condition.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago
The alternative to nuclear isn’t solar, it’s gas. We’re already deploying solar and wind and batteries as quickly as we can. Follow the money: the anti-nuclear establishment is now funded by gas. (Which is being deployed at a similar clip to solar.)
- perihelions 2y ago
  (I believe the parent was making a poorly-advised Matrix joke).
fsflover 2y ago
Nuclear energy is one of the safest already.

atomic128 2y ago

The clean, dense, non-intermittent power provided by nuclear reactors is extremely valuable. Unless you are located near a hydroelectric dam, there is really no substitute. The government will not allow the technology companies to "hog" existing reactors. Presumably this will force the technology companies to build their own reactors. Good. I'll end with a quote from Yann LeCun (Vice-President, Chief AI Scientist at Meta): AI datacenters will be built next to energy production sites that can produce gigawatt-scale, low-cost, low-emission electricity continuously. Basically, next to nuclear power plants. The advantage is that there is no need for expensive and wasteful long-distance distribution infrastructure. Note: Yes, solar and wind are nice and all, but they require lots of land and massive-scale energy storage systems for when there is too little sun and/or wind. Neither simple nor cheap. https://x.com/ylecun/status/1837875035270263014 https://x.com/ylecun/status/1837875035270263014