Chip shortage is not the only obstacle hindering AI development. The insatiable thirst for electricity from data centers has caused serious problems for tech giants, to the point where they have been forced to invest heavily in purchasing nuclear power plants. However, green and renewable energy could also serve as an alternative power source for data centers.
As reported by Reuters, Meta has signed four deals with Renewable energy developer Invenergy to supply 791 megawatts (MW) of solar and wind power for its data centers.
This is the second green deal between Meta and Invenergy to supply renewable energy to Meta"s data centers, following the firms" signing of contracts last year for 760 MW of solar electricity. According to Invenergy, the latest deal soars Meta"s renewable energy purchases to 1,800 MW. The green energy will come from Invenergy"s projects in Ohio, Arkansas, and Texas.
While renewable energy has a more limited capacity compared to methods like nuclear power, it still holds significant potential to meet some of the data center"s energy needs. Moreover, investing in renewable energy aligns with Big Tech"s net-zero plans.
Last year, Meta announced a request for proposals (RFP) to identify nuclear energy developers in the United States. The company plans to generate 1-4 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear power by early 2030.
Also, in June this year, Meta and energy company Constellation announced plans to revive an aging nuclear power plant in Illinois that has been shut down since 2017 due to financial losses. Meta could rely on this nuclear power plant for the next 20 years.
While some major tech companies were committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2040, the soaring power demands from AI data centers could render all those green plans obsolete. That is why these companies have called for reforms to net-zero rules, as achieving their ambitious net-zero goals by 2040 seems highly unlikely.