TECH NEWS – The Microsoft data centres’ future could be nuclear-powered, it seems…

The Microsoft data centres – and those of other companies, of course – are busy at work. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, data centres and data networks account for 2-3% of global energy consumption!

As global internet traffic grows, and demand for things like AI explodes, the 3% figure will surely rise in the coming years.

Microsoft knows a thing or two about big data, and I shudder to think what its monthly electricity bill might be. Presumably, we would even be shocked at its hourly electricity bill. How can we sustainably minimise energy costs? The answer may be nuclear power. Specifically, small modular reactors (SMRs).

The company has certainly given this question some serious thought. They’re looking for a “Principal Program Manager Nuclear Technology” (reported by DCD’s Sebastian Moss). According to the job description, they’re looking for someone who will be “responsible for maturing and implementing a global Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and microreactor energy strategy.”

According to the IAEA, SMRs are small nuclear reactors that can be prefabricated with a small footprint. They can also be scaled up to meet increased energy demands. Sometimes, it may be simpler and more cost-effective to equip a site with SMRs rather than building an expensive grid infrastructure.

But the very mention of the word nuclear sends shivers down the spine. It is a political hand grenade. Because the public knows things like Chornobyl and Fukushima. Also, since we have been seeing post-apocalyptic wastelands in films and TV programmes for years, it is difficult to get support. But if wind, solar or hydro are not viable in a particular place, it is at least worth considering before conventional fossil fuel use.

The International Atomic Energy Agency believes that commercial SMRs are still years away from widespread deployment, although also according to the IAEA, there are 80 commercial SMR designs in development.

However, questions about their economic competitiveness and how they compare with other forms of energy production have not yet been answered.

Microsoft may be seriously considering the introduction of SMRs. But it is more likely that they will only be analysed in the short term. Large companies will all have to take steps to reduce their carbon emissions sooner or later. Nuclear power is a possible answer to a very complex problem economically, socially and politically.

If Microsoft deploys small modular reactors in the coming years, where will they be located? A typical data centre is not in the wilderness but close to civilisation. Because of the proximity of the workers and the people using and producing the data. Would you be happy with a nuclear reactor a block or two away from your dogs, cats or children? That in itself could be a severe obstacle to the introduction of SMR. Even if carbon emissions are reduced, the nuclear fears that have been building up for years will not be easy to dispel.

Source: DCD