Meta announced this week that it will purchase 200 megawatts of solar energy from multinational power company Engie, adding to the company's more than 12 gigawatts of renewable power portfolio.
The news comes as tech companies ramp up their AI ambitions, adding data centers at a breakneck pace, and power demand is rising to the point where half of all new AI servers could be underpowered by 2027. It was announced in the midst of a growing number of
Meta has been steadily adding new capacity, announcing in December that it would build a 2-gigawatt data center in Louisiana, a campus that will reportedly be powered by natural gas. The new solar farm is located within close distance of one of Meta's existing data centers in Texas.
Tech companies have warmed to nuclear startups, announcing a flurry of deals late last year. Google and Kairos are partnering to deploy 500 megawatt small modular nuclear reactors starting in 2030. Amazon has a 300-megawatt contract with X-Energy, which is expected to come online in the early 2030s.
Meta is no exception, announcing in December that it would seek proposals from nuclear power developers for 1 to 4 gigawatts of power by the early 2030s. Companies have until February 7 to submit their plans.
But even though nuclear power is getting all the headlines, renewable power sources have quietly continued to add capacity, allowing companies like Meta to expand their computing power even today. Google is backing a $20 billion renewable energy deal with Intersect Power and TPG Rise, and Microsoft is working on a $9 billion deal with Acadia Infrastructure Capital.
The speed of renewable energy deployment will be one of the biggest challenges facing nuclear startups. For example, Meta's new solar power facility is scheduled to become operational in 2025.