Data centers are required to power various operations conducted by all tech companies worldwide. Although they compete with each other, each company shares one trait: fossil fuels as an energy source. As a result, the pollution produced from the usage of fossil fuels has contributed to harming the atmosphere. With the artificial intelligence industry booming, more data centers are now required to distribute these technologies worldwide, and thus more fossil fuels would be used for these projects.

The tech giants understand that they are one of the primary contributors to continuous pollution pumped into the atmosphere daily and desire to discover an energy source that would be less harmful to the environment. Nuclear energy seems the best option for powering their projects and not polluting as much as fossil fuels. According to the Department of Energy, nuclear energy is also a more reliable energy source than intermittent ones, such as solar and wind, which depend on the conditions of each day.

Nuclear power can also provide a constant energy supply for an extended period without breaks, typically 18 to 24 months. New reactor designs, such as small modular reactors (SMRs) and Generation IV reactors, also improve the efficiency of energy production and ensure that the task is carried out safely.

Famous examples of companies switching to nuclear energy include Talen Energy’s 960 MW data center campus, which Amazon Web Services (AWS) acquired last year. The campus draws power from the 2.5 GW Susquehanna nuclear power station nearby. Additionally, Microsoft signed a deal with Helion, a private nuclear fusion company in the U.S. Starting in 2025, Helion is predicted to provide energy to Microsoft starting from 2028. Google has partnered with Kairos Power to develop SMRs for a clean electricity supply.

However, nuclear energy is not a pure alternative to fossil fuels. Even though it may not harm the environment directly through pollution, it can still produce radioactive waste, which has to be stored for thousands of years so as not to contaminate the environment. There are numerous debates on how to store this waste, especially with areas of land being preoccupied by the growing world population and the possibility of damaging nearby satellites and other tools if launched into space. However, the more efficient designs today, such as the SMRs and Generation IV reactors, could decrease the amount of nuclear waste emitted from power plants.

Nuclear power plants also use water from nearby sources to cool the reactors, discharging the heated water back into the environment. This change in water temperature can damage aquatic life and life on land. Animals drink from lakes and ponds, where the warm water may be deposited along with radioactive waste found in the water. Therefore, the animals who depend on lakes and ponds for water could lose their lives due to the high contamination levels.

Last but not least, nuclear power plants have the potential for accidents. These accidents can release harmful radioactivity into the atmosphere, which can affect everyone for miles around and even pass through the air into various cities. Famous examples include the incidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima. Children, as well as senior citizens, were affected after these outbreaks, and even more could be affected if more nuclear power plants proceeded with their tasks without care.

Tech companies must exercise caution when switching from fossil fuels to nuclear energy to power their projects. Although it may seem like a good idea at first glance, using nuclear power plants to power data centers can have dangerous consequences if not carefully considered.

Information retrieved from the Department of Energy, Forbes, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, World Economic Forum, and Atlantic Council