AI processing requires lots of energy…
Constellation Energy and Microsoft announced a 20-year power purchasing agreement that would bring Three Mile Island Unit 1 reactor and nuclear power plant back online.
The reactor will exclusively power Microsoft’s growing data center footprint. Growth of compute in Microsoft data centers to power Artificial Intelligence (AI) demand, and targets for clean energy and commitment to be “carbon negative” by 2030 made looking at nuclear power an effective energy source choice.
In 1979, the 3 mile island plant in Harrisburg, PA was the site of the worst commercial nuclear power accident in the U.S. The accident destroyed one reactor, Unit 2, and left the plant with one functioning reactor, Unit 1. Constellation Energy will invest approximately $1.6B to restore the equipment in the Unit 1 facility including turbines and the cooling and control systems.
According to press reports, “Reviving the Unit 1 reactor at Three Mile Island, which was shut down in 2019, will require approval by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. If granted, the power plant is expected to return to operation in 2028.”
