Google, Amazon buy nonexistent mini nuclear reactors for AI data centers
Google, Amazon buy nonexistent mini nuclear reactors for AI data centers
Google has signed a deal with California startup Kairos Power for six or seven small modular reactors. The first is due in 2030 and the rest by 2035, for a total of 500 megawatts. [Google blog; pre…
BRING IT ON NITPICKY NUKE NERDS
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Alright so you can have them funding the next generation of nuclear power, which would eventually bring this new form into the mainstream by having them deal with the costs associated with ironing out any issues they have and very likely making it economically viable…
Or…
These tech companies can use fossil fuels to power their AI. Like it or not, they arent going to stop developing AI and data centers. They need the power either way. Solar and wind won’t keep up with that level of demand and tech companies know it. So choose. Nuclear, or fossil fuels?
as you will discover if you read, the use case for SMRs is to keep doing coal
The more I read, the more I'm convinced SMRs are to clean energy as gadgetbahns are to public transit.
Reading the linked article? But it is 1/16th a ssc post long! Nobody got time for that.
as you will discover if you read,
Hey, man, that's a lot to ask, you know, brah
Like it or not, they arent going to stop developing AI and data centers.
Well they should. I'm not giving them credit for investing in vaporware nuclear plants when the ostensible plan is to waste all the power on glue pizza recipes.
I wish they at least put that money in real and known working designs available right now so at least when the fad is dead, we can maybe use that power for something else. Or they can maybe have the tiniest decency to unfuck their search engine or whatever.
Well they should. I’m not giving them credit for investing in vaporware nuclear plants when the ostensible plan is to waste all the power on glue pizza recipes.
man, fuck this timeline... what are we even doing
You're correct that I can't stop them from making pants on head stupid decisions, but I'm not going to stop making fun of them.
very likely making it economically viable…
They're going to fund currently economically nonviable nuclear plants to power their currently economically nonviable genAI schemes? Over the time horizon of
25 yearsa decade (edit: misread the article) before they scale up energy capacity at all past the rnd stage? Maybe pants on head is too generous.I’m not crunching the numbers over here, but they must be making money off AI if they’re doing this. I’m sure they have further plans that aren’t public yet.
I’m not a fan of AI, so if Microsoft or Google ends up in a dumpster fire because of all this I will never stop laughing about it. I just don’t expect it.
but they must be making money off AI if they’re doing this.
They don't have to be, just the fear of another platform developing the same AI SaaS shit which could drive customers away/make it harder to convince C-level management to up their spending could cause fomo at the people building the AI. similar as with the same with the cryptocurrency/blockchain shit. Think we linked an article talking about things like this here a short while ago.
but they must be making money off X if they’re doing this.
is such a laughable, ridiculous thing to say, like what the fuck dude, where did you get this idea from even
Yeah corporations love spending massive amounts of money on projects with no return on their investment. Microsoft is signing a 20 year contract for massive amounts of power for funsies, and totally handing out copilot licenses for free to all the other corporations that are adopting it.
Have you ever sat in a meeting with corporate people? All they every think about is money money and more money. Laugh all you want - MS is doing the laughing as every company scrambles to adopt AI purely out of fear of being left behind, and they are paying for it. The install base is already so huge for the OS, this is the easiest payout they could ask for. They have to shit the bed HARD to fuck this up.
MS is doing the laughing as every company scrambles to adopt AI purely out of fear of being left behind
Hey man, as someone who literally worked at MSFT in Azure Identity a year ago, let me assure you, this is exactly what MSFT is also doing while their devs scratch their heads in bewilderment on how on earth they're going to incorporate genAI into the auth token service.
The tech industry runs on investors spurred on by hype and promises of huge profits somewhere in the future
Yeah corporations love spending massive amounts of money on projects with no return on their investment.
This message squirted into the ether from my Zune
They have to shit the bed HARD to fuck this up.
Fun fact: The default color for the Zune was brown.
I’ll take “comments posted with extremely definite and concrete knowledge of current operator spend and market dynamics” for 2c, Alex
Fortune named Enron "America's Most Innovative Company" for six consecutive years.
Some Wikipedia editor has a nice sense of comedic timing, placing this right before the article picture and the infobox before dropping the
At the end of 2001, it was revealed that Enron's reported financial condition was sustained by an institutionalized, systematic, and creatively planned accounting fraud, known since as the Enron scandal.
Man the internet is wild. I say MS probably has a plan to profit from AI based on their 20 year contract for nuclear power and you guys are like “but Enron failed!” Holy fuck ya really reaching to pick those cherries now
has a plan to profit
You say "plan" but I think what you really mean is that Satya crossed his fingers and hoped for the best
There's a full cherry tree, you can pick as many cherries as you can eat.
Your blithe trust in capital fails to be endearing.
I'm also impressed that the bailey they retreat into ('I just said that they would have a plan to make money over 20 years') is just as badly defendable as the motte 'they must be making money'. Quality work.
it’s weird that Enron of all things was the line for them
thank you for reminding me of this which I forget
I’m not crunching the numbers over here, but they must be making money off AI if they’re doing this.
Sounds familiar...
they're not. chatgpt4 burns more energy than subscription is worth, and that was text only and before that 4o shitshow
Look, Sam Altman is a billionaire and a genius. He has a plan! So what if OpenAI is losing money on every request that ChatGPT serves? They'll make it up in volume! Any idiot can see the genius in that.
I’m sure they have further plans that aren’t public yet.
Nah dawg you’re just too stupid to see how bubbles work.
Meta's happy to give away models for free, so models are evidently worth $0.
Try option three. No one is going to pay for any of that because LLMs are useless machines.
Fun Fact: it took 42 years to start Watts Bar Unit 2.