The
study, published in the journal Nature Communications on Monday, uses a variety of data, including demand for AI chips and information on state electricity and water scarcity, to project the potential environmental impacts of future data centers through the end of the decade. The study models a number of different possible scenarios on how data centers could affect the US and the planet—and cautions that tech companies’ net zero promises aren’t likely to hold up against the energy and water needs of the massive facilities they’re building.
Henrico County’s innovative approach uses tax revenue from data centers to fund affordable housing.
There is currently no requirement that data centers pay the full costs of the extra infrastructure or pressure on the grid. Without protections in place, all ratepayers could be footing the bill for these massive energy users. The new legislation prioritizes safeguarding Wisconsin’s natural resources, pushes for expanding clean energy, and protecting Wisconsin workers and ratepayers.
Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon are investing tens of billions in data centers. AI infrastructure is now a key driver of US economic growth.
NorthWestern has signed Letters of Intent with three different data center companies to supply as much as 1,400 megawatts of power, combined, by the year 2030. Another data center company has announced plans to need another 600 megawatts more to that load.
A first-of-a-kind project underway outside Portland, Oregon, could provide a model for data centers to connect to the grid without driving up utility bills and carbon emissions.
In this episode of Uncanny Valley, we discuss the economics and environmental impacts of energy-hungry data centers and whether these facilities are sustainable in the age of AI.
ENERGY
In the shadow of a service outage that affected millions of users, outside of Richland, Washington, internet commerce giant Amazon is building the first of a series of modular nuclear power stations to protect its data services from outages.
A couple hundred nuclear energy industry officials, along with two western state governors, a Trump administration official and the head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, gathered Monday at the Idaho National Laboratory’s sprawling 890-square-mile testing center to discuss nuclear power’s future in the West.
An Evanston-based nuclear manufacturer says it’s working with the U.S. Army to produce shipping container-sized reactors. They’re designed to outperform the Army’s current diesel generators.
Inertia plans to commercialize a recent breakthrough from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory—attempting to make it work at a scale that would add power to the grid.
The lead time will be needed to ramp up hiring for the Bill Gates-backed company’s first Natrium reactor, but the center is not going to train people only for the Kemmerer operation.
DIA is considering small modular nuclear reactors to power the airport which is attracting interest from Wyoming manufacturers that build them. The Trump administration is speeding up the permitting process for these reactors which would give the airport energy independence.
A California-based company wants to produce its portable nuclear microreactors, called Kaleidos, in Wyoming.
“This is a big deal for the nuclear licensing process,” said Jess Gehin, associate laboratory director for Nuclear Science and Technology at Idaho National Laboratory. “Introducing AI technologies will enhance efficiency and accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies.”
There are commercially viable nuclear projects underway in the U.S., with the most prominent example being the recently completed Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Georgia, which began commercial operation in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Additionally, several advanced reactor projects, such as TerraPower’s Natrium reactor in Wyoming, are in various stages of construction and development, and some decommissioned plants are being restarted, like the one at Three Mile Island.
Completed and operational projects
- Vogtle Units 3 and 4: These are the first new commercial reactors built in the U.S. this century, with Unit 3 starting commercial operation in 2023 and Unit 4 starting in 2024.
Advanced and new reactor projects
- TerraPower’s Natrium project: Ground was broken in June 2024 for this advanced sodium-cooled fast reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
- Holtec International’s SMR: Holtec announced plans to develop two small modular reactors (SMRs) at the former Palisades Nuclear Power Plant site in Michigan, with an expected completion in the mid-2030s.
- BWXT’s BANR reactor: BWX Technologies is exploring the viability of its advanced reactor design, which is also supported by the Department of Energy, to provide heat and power for industrial activities.
- X-Energy’s Xe-100 SMRs: X-Energy is partnering with Dow to demonstrate four Xe-100 SMRs at Dow’s chemical plant in Seadrift, Texas.
Restarted projects
- Three Mile Island Unit 1: Constellation announced in September 2024 that it plans to restart this reactor, with the aim of having it operational by mid-2028. The restart is supported by a power purchase agreement with Microsoft
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