TECH & AI
The crisis is rooted in a timeline mismatch. A data centre can be built in two to three years. The grid upgrades needed to power it take four to eight years. This lag means billions of dollars in newly built facilities can sit idle, throttling national AI ambitions. The result has been a strategic shift from“ follow the fibre” to“ follow the power,” as companies are now forced to build where energy is available.
With conventional grids falling behind, the industry is looking at alternatives. Small Modular Reactors( SMRs) are rapidly emerging as a serious option. As an advanced type of nuclear reactor, SMRs have a smaller physical footprint and faster build times than traditional plants, allowing them to be deployed more quickly and closer to where power is needed.
Tech giants are now moving aggressively to secure this power source. Amazon, for example, has entered into new agreements to help develop SMR projects with utility companies.“ Meaningful climate action requires speed and scale,” says Kara Hurst, VP of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon.“ We’ ve signed agreements to help develop new nuclear energy projects in the US – including enabling the construction of new Small Modular Reactors. These advanced nuclear reactors... can be built more quickly, allowing them to come online sooner.”
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