Meta, the parent company of Facebook, set an ambitious target to secure between 1 and 4 gigawatts of nuclear power for data centers by the early 2030s — and it’s going about it in a novel way.
To lock in future electricity, Meta this week released a request for proposals from nuclear energy developers. That request contrasts with the approach taken by big tech competitors Microsoft, Amazon and Google as they all search for the most direct paths to stable, long-term electricity generation.
In September, Microsoft made a deal with Constellation Energy that could reactivate a unit of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant — the site of the nation’s worst nuclear accident. Amazon and Google have made individual deals with small nuclear startups.
Nuclear startups are testing new designs, and utilities are exploring avenues for restarting large reactors that closed in recent years. The Department of Energy has also developed programs to help advance nuclear technology. Analysts say the open submission approach could help Meta sort through the range of nuclear options — from those traditional large reactors to new small modular reactors.
