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[ManaByte]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/20/energy/three-mile-island-microsoft-ai

Three Mile Island, the site of worst nuclear disaster in the United States, is reopening and will exclusively sell the power to Microsoft as the company searches for energy sources to fuel its AI ambitions.

Constellation Energy announced Friday that its Unit 1 reactor, which closed five years ago, is expected to be revived in 2028, dependent on Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval. Microsoft will purchase the carbon-free energy produced from it to power its data centers to support artificial intelligence.

Financial terms of the 20-year agreement, which Constellation called its largest ever, weren’t disclosed.

The accident happened 12 days after the release of The China Syndrome.

 

[LordCBH]

Could use that energy to power homes and anything else but NOOOOO let’s use it to fucking power AI. I fucking hate this timeline.

 

[Burning Blade]

I’m down for nuclear powering cities but fuck Microsoft and fuck AI.

 

[nush]

There's no way nothing bad is going to come from this.

 

[Hookshot]

I'm assuming it's being modernized? But maybe those fanboys over in gaming were right about Microsoft and "green" rats after all.

 

[poppabk]

Latest MS leak is a Megaton.

 

[DrFigs]

That's pretty fantastic actually. We definitely need more nuclear energy.

 

[poodaddy]

Nuclear is probably our best option for clean energy production, so this is good in that sense, but it's a shame it's only for Microsoft.

 

[Trogdor1123]

This sounds exactly like the start of some kind of horror or scifi movie.

 

[West Texas CEO]

 

[AJUMP23]

I think it is time to build more nuke plants.

 

[RAÏSanÏa]

"Will some humans have to suffer to keep the AI live if there is a problem?" once its been established as an essential to maintain a standard for others. Brownouts or reduced access..at first...good scifi here.

 

[jason10mm]

"Hear me out, let's hook our AI servers to an UNLIMITED and UNSTOPPABLE power source....what could go wrong?"

I kinda think we should have a built in vulnerability for power supply to AI hubs...juuuuust in case. Like they must get power from a coal plant 3 states away so it's easy to sabotage and shut off the juice.

Definitely don't base your AI in space with solar arrays where it can be conpletey free of human intervention.

 

[Xyphie]

"Hear me out, let's hook our AI servers to an UNLIMITED and UNSTOPPABLE power source....what could go wrong?"

I kinda think we should have a built in vulnerability for power supply to AI hubs...juuuuust in case. Like they must get power from a coal plant 3 states away so it's easy to sabotage and shut off the juice.

Definitely don't base your AI in space with solar arrays where it can be conpletey free of human intervention.

It's not like the power wires are going to be directly connected to the data center and nothing else. Both the NPP and the data center are going to be connected to the grid and get their power through there, they need electricity for that ~10% of the time the NPP is down for maintenance. Microsoft will just purchase some or all of the electricity produced through power purchase agreements.

 

[newtypepilot]

nuclearreactor.exe has stopped working due to BSOD

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

Does anything we do make sense any more?

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

double post

 

[BlackTron]

Of course it would be Microsoft bringing us nuclear powered AI.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

That's pretty fantastic actually. We definitely need more nuclear energy.

You think energy infrastructure selling exclusively to private corporationsis a good thing? Next thing - Microsoft builds their own plants.

 

[mitch1971]

Go on, call it SKYNET as well.

 

[SJRB]

We smoothbrained backwards luddite Europe are shutting down all our nuclear reactors in favor of coal "for the environment" and there we have the USA booting up a defunct reactor to power Microsoft's AI datacenter.

Amazing.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

To be fair, Microsoft are going to use the energy no matter what. You could use this nuclear power for baby incubators, electric cars and heated pads for cats in winter exclusively, it'd just mean Microsoft would get their AI power from another part of the grid.

Generally though, the rush for AI is using an astonishing amount of power. I'd be in favour of asking the question about whether the planet can survive a relentless increase in power use while we're still using fossil fuels*, no matter what it's used for.

*Spoiler: it can't.

 

[Kadve]

Btw, calling the three mile Island Incident a "disaster" is mostly just propaganda spread by anti-nuclear activists. No one died in the incident and no conclusive evidence of increased cancer rate has been linked to it.

 

[rm082e]

By the time this comes online, AI will be a funny footnote in the history of yesteryear. Microsoft will still be able to use or sell the power though, since the US needs to double the available power on the grid over the next couple of decades to keep pace with development.

 

[jason10mm]

It's not like the power wires are going to be directly connected to the data center and nothing else. Both the NPP and the data center are going to be connected to the grid and get their power through there, they need electricity for that ~10% of the time the NPP is down for maintenance. Microsoft will just purchase some or all of the electricity produced through power purchase agreements.

Don't you come at me with facts and stuff, I'm on an anti-AI rant!!!

The more nuke power the better, IMHO, fire up those thorium sand reactors!!

 

[sono]

AI will be a funny footnote in the history of yesteryear.

It won’t. They will work on power requirements for a given AI level

 

[TheInfamousKira]

This is cool, at least they're telling us where the final dungeon in our cyberpunk tabletop RPG is.

 

[Thaedolus]

Nuclear is probably our best option for clean energy production, so this is good in that sense, but it's a shame it's only for Microsoft.

Correct. Environmentalist fighting against nuclear energy is the biggest self own in history

 

[SoloCamo]

Phil is taking his retaliatory strike preparations in Fallout way too seriously.

 

[DrFigs]

You think energy infrastructure selling exclusively to private corporationsis a good thing? Next thing - Microsoft builds their own plants.

They'd get the energy one way or another. i prefer it to be nuclear.

 

[Toons]

This is gonna end badly.

 

[jufonuk]

"Hear me out, let's hook our AI servers to an UNLIMITED and UNSTOPPABLE power source....what could go wrong?"

I kinda think we should have a built in vulnerability for power supply to AI hubs...juuuuust in case. Like they must get power from a coal plant 3 states away so it's easy to sabotage and shut off the juice.

Definitely don't base your AI in space with solar arrays where it can be conpletey free of human intervention.

 

[calistan]

Correct. Environmentalist fighting against nuclear energy is the biggest self own in history

Getting rid of the waste product is kind of a huge problem though. It lasts longer than entire civilisations.

If the ancient Egyptians had used nuclear power, we'd still be dealing with looking after their waste today. Also, when our language and culture has vanished into the mists of time, how do we warn people 5,000 years from now that certain areas are permanently off limits? Humans are not great at respecting ancient curses.

 

[Brucey]

Getting rid of the waste product is kind of a huge problem though. It lasts longer than entire civilisations.

If the ancient Egyptians had used nuclear power, we'd still be dealing with looking after their waste today. Also, when our language and culture has vanished into the mists of time, how do we warn people 5,000 years from now that certain areas are permanently off limits? Humans are not great at respecting ancient curses.

When a fly ash pond at a coal plant gives way, that's when it gets really messy.

Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[SEGAvangelist]

That's pretty fantastic actually. We definitely need more nuclear energy.

Bingo. Times have changed.

 

[bitbydeath]

Giving MS this much power seems wrong, but I’m sure their next AI won’t also turn into a literal nazi right? Right?

Microsoft shuts down AI chatbot after it turned into a Nazi

Microsoft's attempt to engage with millennials went badly awry within 24 hours

www.cbsnews.com

 

[RiccochetJ]

Not sure I understand some of the responses here. AI is here to stay, requires stupid amounts of power, and I'd much rather them using carbon free sources over the alternative. It's going to provide jobs to the area, and may include them opening up more reactors in the future.

 

[Pagusas]

Really does read like a cyberpunk/future headline.

 

[Brucey]

Not sure I understand some of the responses here. AI is here to stay, requires stupid amounts of power, and I'd much rather them using carbon free sources over the alternative. It's going to provide jobs to the area, and may include them opening up more reactors in the future.

They shut the working reactor down because natural gas prices were very low, cheaper than nuclear. Since Ukraine invasion, gas prices are back up there.

If Microsoft wants to enter into a 20 year power contract that can enable that reactor to be restarted, that's great news for the local economy. Because solar and wind can't provide the 24*7 base load a data center requires.

 

[NickFire]

This is ridiculous. But I suppose if they promise its carbon free everything's ok. Nothing wrong at all with a trillion dollar entity having its own nuclear power plant to let it erode more and more jobs with AI. Nothing wrong at all as long as its a carbon free end to people's livelihoods.

 

[AJUMP23]

Does anything we do make sense any more?

double post

Clearly nothing makes sense.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

I live near there and have two prevailing thoughts.

1.) Before the pandemic MS was looking for an East Coast HQ, is that coming to MD/PA? Where are the server farms going to be, because my understanding is they are massive.

2.) MS is going to figure out how to monetize Windows and use it as a utility. Charge people monthly for access.


Fun side bar: who here first thought Mako Reactor from OG FFVII? I did!

 

[Valonquar]

Younger Michael Douglas is giving off real Viggo Mortensen vibes there.