Meta wanted to build a nuclear data center but the bees have other plans

Meta’s plans “ruined” by a swarm of bees. Well yes. The parent company of Facebook and Instagram had to abandon its plan to build a nuclear-powered AI data center in the US due to the presence of a rare species of bee. According to reports Financial Timesstrict regulations on the protection of the endemic species led the company to abandon the project.

The bees chase Meta

What represents a challenge for CEO Mark Zuckerberg, means a triumph for conservationists. However, this is not the first time that Meta changes its plans due to a strange species of bees that inhabit the territories in which it plans to build its structures. In 2016, the giant encountered a very similar situation when it began work on the construction of its data center in County Meath, Ireland.; In order to complete the project and safeguard Hymenoptera, it participated in the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, an initiative to restore pollination levels, mainly related to endangered wild bees. The company committed not only to planting trees, but also to carrying out a beekeeping program in the area.

However, the same measures adopted in Ireland are not viable in the United States; At the moment, Meta still lacks a territory in which to build a nuclear-powered data center for its artificial intelligence, which puts it at a disadvantage compared to its competitors. A few months ago, Microsoft announced that it wanted to reactivate its Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, to boost its AI projects. Google recently began a collaboration with the startup Kairos Power to build seven small nuclear reactors that will power its data centers starting in 2030. And in mid-October, Amazon signed a collaboration with three different companies to manufacture small modular reactors.

Given this situation, it is clear that Meta must find a solution as soon as possible to enter the race for nuclear energy to boost its AI projects. But it may not be as easy as it seems, considering that it has canceled its plans for US biodiversity for now. Or at least, that’s what it seems.

Article originally published in WIRED Italy. Adapted by Alondra Flores.