The post Tech giants and Bill Gates spearhead sustainable data center revolution appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

In a groundbreaking development, tech leaders Amazon and Google, alongside billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, are at the forefront of an innovative approach to power the digital future: advanced nuclear energy. As global digitalization accelerates, these leading corporations and leader are taking decisive action to address the urgent need for reliable, clean energy sources, particularly for data centers. The International Energy Agency projects that data centers’ electricity consumption could surpass 1,000 terawatt hours by 2026, more than doubling from 2022 levels. To put this in perspective, one terawatt hour can power roughly 70,000 homes for a year. Data centers currently consume about 1-1.5% of global electricity use, and AI-related electricity consumption is expected to double every 3.4 months. This staggering increase in energy demand has pushed tech giants to reevaluate their energy strategies. Despite substantial investments in solar and wind technologies, both Amazon and Google have faced difficulties in meeting their ambitious climate goals. Google, long considered a leader in corporate sustainability, has seen its carbon emissions rise by nearly 50% over the past five years, with energy-related emissions increasing by 37% in 2023 alone. In response to these challenges, Amazon and Google are turning to small modular reactors (SMRs) as a potential solution which can generate power 24/7. By adopting a “bring your own power” (BYOP) model, they’re investing in SMRs from innovative startups like Kairos Power and X Energy. These reactors generate about 30% of the power of conventional reactors and can be constructed faster and more cost-effectively. With an estimated cost of around $1 billion each, compared to $6-10 billion for traditional nuclear plants, SMRs offer the potential for onsite power generation, crucial for data center reliability. Bill Gates, through his company TerraPower, is playing a powerful role in advancing small scale nuclear technology. TerraPower is developing innovative…

---

Filed under: News - @ October 20, 2024 10:16 pm