Meta had plans to build an AI data center in the US that relies on nuclear power – it already knew where it wanted to build the facility. However, according to the Financial Times, the company had to cancel its plans, because a rare bee species was discovered on the land reserved for the project.
Company chief Mark Zuckerberg was reportedly set to strike a deal with an existing nuclear power plant operator that would provide the plant with emissions-free energy. He told employees at an all-hands last week that it would not be possible to move forward, because the discovery of the bees would cause the company to face too many regulatory challenges, the Times said. Zuckerberg reportedly told his employees that Meta would have the first nuclear-powered AI if the deal went ahead.
This could still be true if the company could find a way, but it will have to move quickly because its biggest rivals are also investing in nuclear power. In September, Microsoft revealed that it intends to revive the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant to provide energy for its AI efforts.
Meanwhile, Google teamed up with startup Kairos Power to build seven small nuclear reactors in the US to power its data centers from 2030. And then there’s Amazon, which in mid-October announced three agreements with different companies to build small modular reactors.
The Times did not say whether Meta was looking for a new site — one that does not have rare bees living nearby. One of its sources said only that Meta is still exploring various deals for emissions-free energy, including nuclear, to power its future AI data centers.
Meta is preparing for even more layoffs, Bloomberg reports. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a company memo that he plans to cut about five percent of his “low performers.”
“I’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management and phase out low performers faster,” Zuckerberg said in the memo. “We typically weed out people who don’t meet expectations over the course of a year, but now we’re going to make more extensive performance-based cuts during this cycle.”
Overall, once layoffs are taken into account, Meta could have 10 percent fewer employees. Bloomberg suggested that the upcoming pink slips will focus on people “who have been with the company long enough to have a performance rating.”