Meta is looking for partners to achieve its sustainability goals and green AI innovations. The technology company wants to achieve 1 to 4 gigawatts of new nuclear power plant capacity in the USA.

Meta said in a press release that it is looking for partners who can help achieve its AI and sustainability goals. The technology company joins Amazon, Microsoft and Google, who also rely on this less environmentally harmful energy source. The technology company is particularly interested in small modular reactors (SMRs), although their commercial viability is estimated in the 2030s.

Sustainability goals

Developing new AI tools is an energy-intensive process. Large technology companies are increasingly looking for ways to power data centers without compromising their sustainability goals. In the US, President Joe Biden agreed to roughly halve greenhouse gas emissions from their peak by 2030. This happened in connection with the Paris Agreement, which Trump now wants to abandon.

“We believe nuclear energy will play a critical role in the transition to a cleaner, more reliable and more diversified power grid,” Meta’s announcement said. That’s why today we announced that we will be issuing a request for proposal (RFP) to identify nuclear energy developers to help us achieve our AI and sustainability goals.”

Small, modular reactors

Meta is particularly interested in small modular reactors (SMRs). Developers are still working on this technology, which would be much easier to install, which would also reduce costs. However, these modular reactors are not yet on the commercial market. This is not expected to happen until the 2030s.

“We believe that working with partners who ultimately authorize, design, construct, finance, build and operate these power plants will enable the long-term thinking needed to accelerate nuclear technology,” Meta said. The technology company plans to add 1-4 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity in the U.S. in the 2030s.