Bees Sting Facebooks AI Expansion Plan

 Ars Technica, Endangered bees stop Meta’s plan for nuclear-powered AI data center

Plans by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta to build an AI data center in the US that runs on nuclear power were thwarted in part because a rare species of bee was discovered on land earmarked for the project, according to people familiar with the matter.

Zuckerberg had planned to strike a deal with an existing nuclear power plant operator to provide emissions-free electricity for a new data center supporting his artificial intelligence ambitions.

However, the potential deal faced multiple complications including environmental and regulatory challenges, these people said.

The discovery of the rare bee species on a location next to the plant where the data center was to be built would have complicated the project, Zuckerberg told a Meta all-hands meeting last week, according to two people familiar with the meeting.

The blow comes as rivals Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have all struck deals recently with nuclear power plant operators to fulfill rising energy demands from data centers as they race to train and maintain power-hungry AI models. One AI query consumes up to 10 times the energy of a standard Google search.

Meta is continuing to explore various deals for carbon-free energy, including nuclear, one of the people said. Meta declined to comment.

Nuclear is increasingly viewed as a way to get stable, round-the-clock power during the AI wars between Big Tech groups.

Rusty Patched Bumblebee

The article doesn't explain what bee species is causing the problem, but at SAN, Rare bee discovery halts Facebook parent Meta’s nuclear power plans

According to Financial Times, CEO Mark Zuckerberg informed Meta employees that the decision to halt the project stemmed in part from concerns surrounding the bee species. Although the specific type of bee has not been disclosed, the rusty patched bumblebee is the only type of bee in the continental U.S. that is protected under the Endangered Species Act.