Meta Scraps Plans for Data Center to Save Rare Bees

Tech giant Meta is scrapping plans for a new nuclear-powered data center to handle its artificial intelligence (AI) needs. And it's all because of swarms of rare bees.

Efforts to protect a rare bee species blocked Meta's planned purchase of land in the Western US. That's where the data center would’ve been built. That's according to the Financial Times. 

Big Tech firms have said they need more energy to meet the fast-growing demands of AI. One prompt to AI can use up to 10 times the power of a normal Google search. Meta, Google, and other tech giants are looking to build their own centers powered by nuclear reactors. It's viewed as a clean energy. That's because nuclear power doesn’t emit greenhouse gases. Those gases drive climate change.  

Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have all made deals with nuclear power plants as they compete to grow their AI tools. Microsoft has signed a deal to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. That plant was shut down in 1979 after a partial meltdown. It was one of the most serious nuclear accidents in US history.  

Meta’s bee problem shows that moving toward greener energy can conflict with environmental concerns. In the UK, a project to build onshore wind turbines was blocked for almost a decade. That's because environmentalists voiced concerns about lost green space. 

Meta is putting a lot of money into growing its AI tools. During an earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg said Meta is spending $92 billion on it. He's the CEO of Meta. Meta is the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. 

Reflect: What do you think is more important: building new technology to help people or protecting nature? Why?

Photo of bees from Unsplash courtesy of Massimiliano Latella.