Meta's plan for nuclear datacenter reportedly undone by bees

Meta forced to cancel its nuclear datacenter following discovery

· TechRadar

News By Craig Hale published 5 November 2024

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
  • A rare bee species has been found on Meta’s proposed datacenter site
  • Meta wants to continue maintaining net zero GHG emissions
  • Regulatory hurdles may also have contributed to the project’s cancellation

Meta’s efforts to build a new nuclear-powered AI datacenter have come to an end after scientists found a rare species of bee on the proposed site.

According to report by the Financial Times., the problem reportedly came to light when company CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the pollinators were present on the site during an all-hands meeting.

Because the area must now be protected, building regulations have prevented the social media giant from getting access to the land, let alone its moral obligations not to displace the rare species.

Bees, Mark?

Besides the discovery of the important species, the Financial Times report cites two unnamed sources who believe further regulatory hurdles also contributed to the decision to terminate the plan. Specific details surrounding the location of the site have not been revealed.

However, the bad news (or good news if you look at it from an environmental perspective) comes as Meta looks to seriously expand its infrastructure to keep up with the demand for AI tools. The California company expects to rack up $38 billion in capital expenses in 2024. AI and datacenter projects are likely to make up a large portion of that sum.

By using nuclear energy, the proposed datacenter would have helped Meta reduce its carbon footprint. Although nuclear can be controversial, it’s a carbon-free energy resource that’s being explored by the likes of Microsoft and Amazon as part of a global effort to tackle the high energy demands of AI datacenters.

Although there’s always room for improvement, Meta proudly proclaimed in its 2024 Sustainability Report that it has maintained net zero greenhouse gas emissions since 2020, thanks in part to its 11,700MW portfolio of renewable energy.

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