---
title: "Microsoft Needs So Much Power to Train AI That It’s Considering Small Nuclear Reactors"
description: "Microsoft is betting on small modular nuclear reactors to grow its energy infrastructure for training AI, a highly ambitious plan."
date: "2023-09-30"
modified: "2023-09-30"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/microsoft-power-train-ai-small-nuclear-reactors"
categories:
  - "Artificial Intelligence"
tags:
  - "artificial intelligence"
  - "microsoft"
  - "OpenAI"
  - "the digest"
---

# Microsoft Needs So Much Power to Train AI That It’s Considering Small Nuclear Reactors

![Microsoft is betting on small modular nuclear reactors to grow its energy infrastructure for training AI, a highly ambitious plan.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/microsoft-power-train-ai-small-nuclear-reactors.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: TerraPower/Futurism\</em\>*

## Going Nuclear

Training large language models is an [incredibly power-intensive process](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/chatgpt-costs-openai-every-day>) that has an immense carbon footprint. Keeping data centers running requires a ludicrous amount of electricity that could generate substantial amounts of greenhouse emissions — depending, of course, on the energy's source.

Now, [*The Verge* reports](<https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/26/23889956/microsoft-next-generation-nuclear-energy-smr-job-hiring>), Microsoft is betting so big on AI that its pushing forward with a plan to power them using nuclear reactors. Yes, you read that right; a [recent job listing](<https://jobs.careers.microsoft.com/global/en/job/1627555/Principal-Program-Manager-Nuclear-Technology>) suggests the company is planning to grow its energy infrastructure with the use of small modular reactors (SMR.)

At least in theory, SMRs are cheaper to build and more flexible than full-scale nuclear power stations. And there's at least some momentum behind the idea in the US — the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission a [greenlit a design](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/first-small-nuclear-reactor-greenlit-by-us-regulators>) by Oregon-based nuclear reactor company NuScale Power just last year.

## Small and Modular

But before Microsoft can start relying on nuclear power to train its AIs, it'll have plenty of other hurdles to overcome.

For one, it'll have to source a working SMR design. Then, it'll have to figure out how to get its hands on a highly enriched uranium fuel that these small reactors typically require, as *The Verge* points out. Finally, it'll need to figure out a way to store all of that nuclear waste long term.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates also started an incubator for SMR designs called TerraPower. However, TerraPower "does not currently have any agreements to sell reactors to Microsoft," according to a [statement to *CNBC*](<https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/25/microsoft-is-hiring-a-nuclear-energy-expert-to-help-power-data-centers.html>).

Other than nuclear fission, Microsoft is also [investing](<https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/10/microsoft-agrees-to-buy-power-from-sam-altman-backed-helion-in-2028.html>) in nuclear fusion, a far more ambitious endeavor, given the many [decades of research](<https://futurism.com/fusion-scientists-net-energy-gain>) that have yet to lead to a practical power system.

Nevertheless, the company [signed a power purchase agreement](<https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/10/microsoft-agrees-to-buy-power-from-sam-altman-backed-helion-in-2028.html>) with Helion, a fusion startup founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman earlier this year, with the hopes of buying electricity from it as soon as 2028.

Regardless of where it gets its electricity from, Microsoft has some massive power and [water bills](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/chatgpt-ai-water-consumption>) to pay for right now — and given the growing hype surrounding AI, they're only likely to grow.

**More on Microsoft:** *[ChatGPT Is Consuming a Staggering Amount of Water](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/chatgpt-ai-water-consumption>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)