Big Tech companies are looking into small modular reactors (SMRs) as potential energy solutions to meet the increasing demands from artificial intelligence and data centers. Despite four companies garnering nearly $3 billion in equity funding over the past eight years, experts have raised concerns about the effectiveness of SMRs as a sustainable power source. With current projections estimating that US data centers may require up to 90 gigawatts by 2030, there is a pressing need for reliable alternatives, although the consensus remains unclear regarding SMRs as the ideal solution for these demands.
"It's new, and it's old at the same time," Allison MacFarlane, former US Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman, said of SMRs in an interview with Business Insider.
Tech companies like Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft are investing in the technology with the hope of finding a sustainable and reliable energy source to meet the increasing power demands of artificial intelligence and data centers.
Data compiled from CB Insights and Pitchbook showed that over the past eight years, only four companies received about 92% of the nearly $3.2 billion in equity funding that went to SMR-focused firms.
The industry consensus is that they produce less power - around 300 megawatts instead of the 1,000 megawatts, or 1 gigawatt - than a traditional reactor.
Collection
[
|
...
]