.... Why keep that only in house and why not make competitive public companies?
I don't use Meta products regularly, but they've crowbarred the "Meta AI" feature into everything - FB Messenger, Whatsapp, Instagram... There's even a standalone website to chat with the Meta AI model similar to chatgpt:
I'm certainly prepared to agree that they don't have a huge amount of traction or marketshare, but they absolutely have already built AI products and they exist.
Outside of their own consumer products, there's the family of llama models too etc.
Then they generate unique copy and images for each user (or hyper-targeted bucket of users), tailored to what would make them click. All continuously A/B tested.
They probably want to better target ads and generate outrage slop with AI. That was always the plan: spy on people, make them unhappy, sell ads and maybe also provide the means to scoundrels to scam the elderly in the process.
The headline should probably be, “Meta invests in nuclear startup” and leave it there. My guess is this deal is quietly swept under the rug when the first reactor fails to go fully online by 2032.
And they have received NRC approval.
https://thebreakthrough.org/press/release-the-nrc-issues-con...
So not sure what additional regulatory hurdles you see. Can you enlighten us?
> TerraPower must still complete construction, submit an operating license application, and satisfy all applicable safety and regulatory requirements before loading fuel and beginning operations.
The oppressive economics of alternative energy right now is compared to all the other forms of generation is that they simply have a lot more runway just on economies of scale but also in technological development to increase their economic advantage. And keep in mind that alternative energy has already won the price war even over combined cycle natural gas
I just don't think solid fuel rod smrs are the way to go. I think the past the price competitive nuclear involves molten salt reactors with their inherent safety, inherent scalability, breeding, an online reprocessing that uses almost all the fuel.
Granted China has about the only one that's ever gone into semi-production. That reminds me, it's been about a year since I heard it went online and I haven't read anything about it
Of course I am assuming you're not going to cheat by using your right to sell to your solar electricity at fixed price to your local utility, let them figure out production and distribution issues and pretend you are consuming your own solar electricity.
Given that they haven’t actually built one, asserting the performance seems inappropriate, _especially_ the uptime which IIRC is far, far higher than is typical for proven designs, let alone a new one.
And even if a reactor goes offline, a power plant usually operates 2 to 4 reactors, so the entire plant continues operating.
It's a massive propaganda push paid for by some of the richest people of the planet. It started with Brexit/Cambridge Analytica; continues with the Bannon/Epstein chat histories, and Vance/Trump trying to influence local elections (e.g. the pro-Orban speeches).
It seems autocrats are really uncomfortable with educated people speaking up. I'm quite sure these autocrats are also really annoyed when their own children reach puberty.
But it is a very real concern that there seems to be a total lack of technology investment and innovation across Europe.
I wouldn’t be concerned, because this is obviously false.
I like the idea of a network of thorium reactors. I don't want to see any part of that network owned or controlled by people that we already know place their own selfish interests above everything else.
Therefore I guess I am suggesting that high net worth individuals should be prohibited from all investments in or operations involving weapons production.
Maybe I just don't trust that guy and think that he would gladly offload the responsibility of waste disposal or processing on anyone in a backroom deal that we don't learn about until he has been providing materials to refine and construct weapons to individuals who will gladly employ them in attacks.
I'm not paranoid, I just hate assholes.
If anything, nuclear tends to be much more strictly regulated than the 73 GW (wtf) of off-grid mostly gas plants to power datacenters for example.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/fast-tracked-power-p...
just because Meta is funding or purchasing power from a nuclear plant doesn't put those plants outside regulatory jurisdiction
Yes, I'm also for solar, and wind, and geothermal, and nat gas, and way out there fusion. It's hard to exaggerate how much cheap, abundant, reliable energy helps civilization.
Because why somebody else should bear the risk of a nuclear disaster.
This is nonsense. State/society is the last backstop, the last resort insurer in nuclear risk. Why shall we insure nuclear risks so Mark gets richer with more clicks ? again socializing the costs and privatizing de profits.
Not in my backyard.
Your answer is off topic and full of prejudice.
(Disclaimer: most of my life I lived closer than 50 miles to various major nuclear plants.)
For energy storage, is it storing the hot water, or using batteries to store generated electricity?
Metal.
I was hoping the Thorium molten salt ones with atmospheric pressure vessels would pick up pace thanks to this boom in power demand or Helion would arrive on the scene right on time for this.
The wording there implies some upfront money from Meta, and that this isn’t just a PPA like we normally see.
But with no numbers attached it’s hard to know if it’s a serious investment or just PR fluff.
Financial press saying they are exploring all means of raising large sums of money for AI investment
Also rumours Meta is going to start a Cloud business.
Why are they getting so much money for this? Isn't there private capital with Meta involved?
> The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $2.7 billion to strengthen domestic enrichment services over the next ten years. The historic investment expands U.S. capacity for low-enriched uranium (LEU) and jumpstarts new supply chains and innovations for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to create American jobs and usher in the nation’s nuclear renaissance.
hmm, seems like a pretty steep investment. Hopefully it returns some tax money
Discussion on this and related Meta nuclear moves at the time:
Meta announces nuclear energy projects
PBS Space Time explainer
Meta should be a good buy somewhere in $150-$200 area. I guess.
[0] https://c.tenor.com/wuKJbik2LcEAAAAM/anchorman-ron-burgundy....
