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Meta's Plan For Nuclear-Powered AI Data Centre Thwarted By Rare Bees (ft.com)

(Monday November 04, 2024 @11:50AM (msmash) from the tough-luck dept.)


An anonymous reader shares a report:

> Plans by Mark Zuckerberg's Meta to [1]build an AI data centre in the US that runs on nuclear power were thwarted in part because [2]a rare species of bee was discovered on land earmarked for the project, according to people familiar with the matter.

>

> Zuckerberg had planned to strike a deal with an existing nuclear power plant operator to provide emissions-free electricity for a new data centre supporting his artificial intelligence ambitions. However, the potential deal faced multiple complications including environmental and regulatory challenges, these people said.

>

> The discovery of the rare bee species on a location next to the plant where the data centre was to be built would have complicated the project, Zuckerberg told a Meta all-hands meeting last week, according to two people familiar with the meeting.



[1] https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/10/07/1627216/big-tech-has-cozied-up-to-nuclear-energy

[2] https://www.ft.com/content/ed602e09-6c40-4979-aff9-7453ee28406a



Maybe Bombus affini (Score:5, Interesting)

by jmccue ( 834797 )

I tried to find the species, but very difficult to find it. I could not get into the article and duckduckgo searches only found articles without mentioning the species. But I saw a summary mentioning:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus_affinis

So I am guessing that is the bee. FWIW, I remember seeing these as a kid, but for ages I now only see ones with a yellow band.

Re: (Score:3)

by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

Paywall bypass: [1]https://archive.ph/gPkii [archive.ph]

It doesn't say what kind of bees.

[1] https://archive.ph/gPkii

Re: (Score:2)

by couchslug ( 175151 )

No surprise, the post is yet more msmash space filler.

Foiled again (Score:2)

by Chris Mattern ( 191822 )

By DR. BEES!!

Right (Score:1)

by Anonymous Coward

Because Mark Zuckerberg with a nuclear reactor was a good idea.

Re: (Score:2)

by Chris Mattern ( 191822 )

Now, if it was Zuck *in* a nuclear reactor, that would be another matter...

Re: (Score:2)

by cstacy ( 534252 )

> Now, if it was Zuck *in* a nuclear reactor, that would be another matter...

You want Dr. Manhattan? Because that's how you get Dr. Manhattan. A 7 foot tall blue immortal Zuckerberg, swinging his giant naked dick around, but at least since he would be omniscient, he might lose interest in using networks to invade everyone's privacy for profit.

non-paywalled (Score:4, Informative)

by cstacy ( 534252 )

[1]https://www.msn.com/en-gb/mone... [msn.com]

[1] https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/topstories/meta-s-plan-for-nuclear-powered-ai-data-centre-thwarted-by-rare-bees/ar-AA1tt2m5

Re: (Score:2)

by Bill, Shooter of Bul ( 629286 )

Maybe we just don't need the Bullshit AI the power was intended for?

All hail Oprah the Bee queen!

Re: (Score:2)

by Junta ( 36770 )

> an existing nuclear power plant operator

The power is already there and being produced, but it's just being used for other things than pumping into a Meta datacenter

No, the bees are more important than AI bubble driven power hogs that will take gigawatts of power capacity *away* from the grid, causing grid operators to build up hydrocarbon capacity to offset the green nuclear power that was lost to that boondoggle. While Meta points to accounting tricks that shows their individual usage falls within the 'green' capacity, all the other homes and b

Re:China is laughing at us (Score:4, Funny)

by Pascoea ( 968200 )

Those damn Chinese bees mucking up the works. Probably created in a lab somewhere.

Re: (Score:2)

by Junta ( 36770 )

Note that it wasn't the nuke plant that was thwarted, the nuke plant already exists and is doing fine.

What was thwarted (maybe?) was the plans for Meta to greenwash their inefficient ambitions by making it seem like they are just taking power from the nuclear plant, likely causing the utility to spin up more hydrocarbon energy production to offset the loss of that energy output from the nuke plant to the grid.

We can appreciate funding to build out non-hydrocarbon energy production, but we shouldn't let ours

Surprising (Score:2)

by buck-yar ( 164658 )

Its surprising the brakes are put on the project. In my locality, the rules are for the little guy and the elite get to do what they want.

Fluff on MAMAA nukes (Score:2)

by byronivs ( 1626319 )

No place, no species, no info. Some mention of MAMAA companies' plans. No there, there.

MAMAA nukes (Score:2)

by Geoffrey.landis ( 926948 )

Make A Mess And Abandon?

Zuck reels from stinging setback (Score:2)

by groobly ( 6155920 )

headline says it all.

Beezilla (Score:2)

by az-saguaro ( 1231754 )

This is how most of the 1950's sci-fi movies started :

(nuclear something) + (some kind of animal, preferably creepy) = Yucky Monster.

It wasn't all bad.

50-foot woman had about 1500 lb (680 kg) of boob.

And Godzilla even made it to superstar status.

Hollywood take note.

Friends don't let friends use Windows 95.