Following up on Three Mile Island, good point from Ben Thompson today:
…nuclear energy and data centers are a perfect match for two reasons. The most obvious one is that data centers need power 24/7, which nuclear provides. The less obvious one is that nuclear power needs to be delivering power 24/7; it doesn’t scale down. Data centers, though, are a perfectly predictable consumer of power.
@manton Another side benefit: When the nuclear plant has a melt down, it will take the AI data center with it! ;-)
@patrickrhone Ouch! 🤪 Although one of the problems is apparently the data centers are a couple states away, so it might not.
@manton as long as they don't put the AI in charge of the nuclear power plant... "Are you Sara Connor?"
@pratik I suspect you would call me “anti-AI” but I am generally pro nuclear power, with caveats, because it is a valuable way to generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gas. It does not seem like a good idea to me to reopen Three Mile Island for all of the reasons it was originally closed… none of them to do with AI.
