The electricity needed to power AI data centres is causing technology companies to double down on their push for a nuclear energy renaissance.
Amazon, Google and Meta signed a petition to support the goal of at least tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050, announced last week by the World Nuclear Association during the CERAWEEK by S&P Global energy conference in Houston, Texas.
“Recognising that by ensuring that nuclear and other energy sources have equal access to finance, governments can enable nuclear capacity deployment at scale worldwide,” the petition read, stating that “nuclear energy can provide round the clock energy independently of the weather, the season or the geographical location”.
“This is not the end, it is just the beginning,” said World Nuclear Association director Sama Bilbao y Leon of the petition. “We know that many other large energy users are considering joining the pledge in the future.”
Given the growing interest and investment in AI, that seems to be a safe bet. According to a report from the US Energy Department, data centres consumed about 4.4 per cent of total electricity in the country, but by 2028, that share could increase to 12 per cent.
By most estimates, a simple query to an AI chatbot uses 10 times more energy than a similar search on Google. That's because the large language models that make up the backbone of AI contain parameters that require ample computing power that quickly consumes electricity.
In short, increasingly powerful large language models require more energy-intensive data centres, which place a bigger burden on the electricity grid.
The petition came several weeks after an announcement from Constellation Energy, which said that it was ahead of schedule with its much-touted plans to restart Three Mile Island's (TMI) Unit 1 nuclear reactor in Pennsylvania as part of a 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft, which is also seeking to power its AI data centres.
“Every new milestone confirms our belief that the Crane Clean Energy Centre can be returned to service better than ever, restoring 835 megawatts of carbon-free energy to the regional grid at a critical time for Pennsylvania and our nation,” said Joe Dominguez, chief executive of Constellation.
Constellation has said that the project could create “3,400 direct and indirect jobs” while also adding more than “800 megawatts of carbon-free electricity to the grid”.
The juxtaposition of the initial announcement made by Constellation several months ago stands in stark contrast with the history of Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island, which was the site of the one of the biggest nuclear accidents in US history. In 1979, the core of Unit 2 was partially exposed, leading to a temporary evacuation of the nearby area and a lengthy clean-up. The incident left a black mark and stigma on nuclear energy that lingers to this very day.
In turn, those fears caused by the accident TMI Unit 2, along with Chernobyl's deadly 1986 explosion and Fukushima's 2011 disaster, are colliding with the collective effort by technology companies to bring more nuclear reactors on line.
“You cannot erase or rewrite history,” said Eric Epstein, director of Three Mile Island Alert, a grass roots safe energy organisation founded in 1977, two years before the Unit 2 accident.
Mr Epstein was referring to Constellation's decision the name from TMI Unit 1 to Crane Clean Energy Centre. “This is an act of cultural vandalism. You can’t rebrand a nuclear disaster,” he added, also expressing scepticism about the jobs promised.
Mr Epstein, along with others who live in the shadow of Three Mile Island on the Susquehanna River, aren't buying into the renewed nuclear optimism presented by Big Tech.
“This is like retrofitting an Edsel,” he said, referring to Constellation's TMI Unit 1 plan, also accusing the company and the nuclear industry of using taxpayer funded subsidies.
“Anyone can be over confident when you have $2 billion of other peoples' money in your back packet.” He also questioned who will ultimately benefit from the energy generated by the reactor. He has described TMI Unit 1 as a “zombie reactor” that will serve to provide electricity to data centres in Virginia, Illinois and Ohio.
Pennsylvania's Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro, however, has praised the progress made on TMI Unit 1, and saying that the reactor will play a crucial role “in providing safe, reliable, clean electricity”.
Meanwhile, there's also a major push from various technology companies like Amazon, Oracle and OpenAI, to pursue the idea of using small modular nuclear reactors, as a potential way to bridge the energy gap created by AI.
Pending approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Three Mile Island's Unit 1 is expected to restart in 2028.
SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
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Company%C2%A0profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
RACE RESULTS
1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
HOW TO WATCH
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Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
1999 - 1st round
2000 - 1st round
2001 - Quarter-finalist
2002 - 1st round
2003 - Winner
2004 - Winner
2005 - Winner
2006 - Winner
2007 - Winner
2008 - Finalist
2009 - Winner
2010 - Quarter-finalist
2011 - Quarter-finalist
2012 - Winner
2013 - 2nd round
2014 - Finalist
2015 - Finalist
2016 - Semi-finalist
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
UAE squad
Men's draw: Victor Scvortov and Khalifa Al Hosani, (both 73 kilograms), Sergiu Toma and Mihail Marchitan (90kg), Ivan Remarenco (100kg), Ahmed Al Naqbi (60kg), Musabah Al Shamsi and Ahmed Al Hosani (66kg)
Women’s draw: Maitha Al Neyadi (57kg)
