AI & Nuclear
Posted: 13th January 2025
The UK is planning special districts for constructing data centers and will explore dedicating nuclear energy to the sites as part of a Labour government project to boost technology growth and the ecosystem for artificial intelligence. These “AI Growth Zones” will include enhanced access to electricity and easier planning approvals for data centers, the government said on Sunday. It said the first such zone will be in Culham, home of the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
Bloomberg 12th Jan 2025
Starmer’s new AI strategy to address technology’s power needs. The UK’s new artificial intelligence strategy includes plans to help AI projects connect to the grid and access the power needed to run the technology. The plan includes measures to create dedicated AI Growth Zones to speed up planning permission for AI projects and give them better access to the energy grid. The first of these will be in Culham, Oxfordshire, where the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority is based, with more to be announced in the summer. Future areas will likely be based in de-industrialised areas of the country with access to power and strong support from local government. The AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. In addition, the action plan calls for the creation of a dedicated AI Energy Council chaired by the Science and Energy Secretaries. This will work with energy companies to understand the energy demands and challenges which will fuel the technology’s development – this will directly support the government’s mission to become a clean energy superpower by tapping into technologies like small modular reactors. However, joint-managing director at Sizewell C Julia Pyke noted that the UK will need additional clean energy supplies to meet the power needs of AI. She said: “The UK is neatly positioned to be a leading developer of artificial intelligence, but to meet the government’s aspirations we need a source of low-carbon power that is both reliable and secure. That’s why we need more nuclear energy. “Around the world, big technology companies are already turning towards nuclear energy as the only option to power their future growth. Recent research from the Tony Blair Institute found that by 2030 data centres could represent up to 6% of the UK’s electricity demand, and that the UK needed to ‘build new nuclear at pace’ if it wanted to remain competitive for AI companies.” She added: “If the UK is to lead in AI and attract all of the innovation and investment that comes with it, nuclear energy is non-negotiable.”
Energy Voice 13th Jan 2025