As the UK’s largest cloud computing company, Amazon Web Services (AWS), urges the nation to invest in nuclear energy to power its data centres, a new era of atomic power emerges to meet growing demands for artificial intelligence. The country’s energy infrastructure is set to undergo a significant shift, with small modular reactors and traditional nuclear power poised to play key roles.
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform industries, the world’s largest cloud computing company, ‘Amazon Web Services (AWS), is urging the UK to invest in nuclear energy to power its data centres.’ AWS plans to spend £8bn on new data centres in the UK over the next four years, a move that could significantly increase the country’s reliance on renewable and atomic power.
Nuclear energy is a low-carbon power source that generates electricity by harnessing the energy released from nuclear reactions.
In 2020, nuclear power plants worldwide produced over 2,600 TWh of electricity, accounting for approximately 10% of global power generation.
The 'top nuclear-energy-producing countries' are among the top countries in this category, with the United States, France, and China being notable examples.
Nuclear reactors use enriched uranium as fuel, producing steam that drives turbines to generate electricity.
While nuclear energy offers a reliable and efficient source of power, concerns surrounding safety and waste disposal remain significant challenges.
A single data centre can consume as much energy as a small town, with the current 500 data centres in the UK accounting for only 2.5% of all electricity usage. However, this number is projected to rise to 6% by 2030 and potentially reach nearly 50% by 2050. This growth has significant implications for the nation’s energy infrastructure.
Data centres consume a significant amount of energy, with estimates suggesting they account for around 1-2% of global electricity usage.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), data centres in the United States alone consumed over 70 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2014.
This energy consumption is projected to continue growing as data centre demand increases due to cloud computing, big data, and IoT adoption.
To mitigate this issue, data centre operators are exploring energy-efficient solutions such as server virtualization, heat recovery systems, and on-site renewable energy generation.
The Energy Needs of Data Centres
A single data centre can consume as much energy as a small town, with the current 500 data centres in the UK accounting for only 2.5% of all electricity usage. However, this number is projected to rise to 6% by 2030 and potentially reach nearly 50% by 2050. This growth has significant implications for the nation’s energy infrastructure.
Data centres are experiencing unprecedented growth, driven by increasing demand for cloud computing, big data analytics, and digital transformation.
According to a report by BroadGroup, the global data centre market is projected to reach $154 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 12%.
The 'need for organisations to store and process vast amounts of data' is fuelled by the need for organisations to store and process vast amounts of data, driving the development of new data centre infrastructure.
This surge in demand is fuelled by the need for organisations to store and process vast amounts of data, driving the development of new data centre infrastructure.
The Asia-Pacific region is expected to be the largest contributor to this growth, followed closely by North America and Europe.
Nuclear Power: A Solution for Data Centres
Matt Garman, AWS‘s chief executive, views nuclear power as an ‘excellent source of zero-carbon, 24/7’ energy that can meet the growing demands of data centres. However, this technology is still in its infancy, with only a handful of small modular reactors (SMRs) already built worldwide. While experts acknowledge the potential benefits of SMRs, they also note that traditional nuclear power remains expensive and time-consuming to build.
The Role of Small Modular Reactors
SMRs are smaller, more compact reactors that can be easily replicated and connected to existing grids. This could help address the long-standing issue of grid connection times, which can delay the deployment of new energy infrastructure. According to Jess Ralston at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, investors often face significant delays in securing grid connections, holding back growth.
The Regulatory Challenge
As AI adoption continues to accelerate, regulators are struggling to keep pace with the rapidly evolving technology landscape. Matt Garman believes that international regulations may be too slow to respond to the needs of emerging technologies like AI, which could have unintended consequences if not carefully managed. However, he also stresses the importance of responsible AI development and deployment.
A New Era for Nuclear Power
The UK’s decision on nuclear energy will play a significant role in shaping its digital economy. As AWS continues to invest in SMRs and traditional nuclear power, the nation must navigate the complex challenges and opportunities presented by this rapidly changing landscape.
