Meta, spearheaded by Zuck, intends to cash in on its surplus electricity
Meta Expands Datacenter Power BI Capacity with New Energy Projects
In a significant move to address the growing power BI demands of its datacenters, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has commissioned Entergy to build three combined-cycle combustion turbine plants with a total capacity of 2.26 gigawatts. This development is part of Meta's plan to power its Hyperion datacenter campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana, which is expected to scale up to five gigawatts of capacity over the next few years.
The Hyperion datacenter campus is set to house Meta's largest datacenters, including the upcoming Prometheus datacenter, revealed to be slated for 2026 in July. The first of several gigawatt-scale datacenters due to come online next year, Prometheus is a testament to Meta's commitment to expanding its datacenter infrastructure.
In addition to the new power plants, Meta's subsidiary, Atem Energy LLC, has filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to sell energy, capacity, and ancillary services at market-based rates. Meta hopes to begin selling excess capacity as soon as November 16, but specific details about the amount of excess capacity or the price at which it will sell this excess capacity are not yet available.
The Atem division aims to allow Meta to lock in large power commitments under favorable terms and resell any excess capacity it doesn't need or can't yet fully utilize. This strategy could help Meta navigate the growing power BI demands of its datacenters, which have become a major bottleneck due to the increasing reliance on AI.
The surge in datacenter power BI demand is not unique to Meta. Goldman Sachs predicts that global datacenter power BI demand will more than double from about 55 gigawatts by the end of the decade, with AI being the main driver. Some AI infrastructure providers have already resorted to commissioning large natural gas generator plants or even reigniting dormant nuclear reactors to support their datacenter buildouts.
However, the impact of the sale of excess capacity on Meta's datacenter power BI demands remains unclear. The company has also issued a request for proposals to supply its datacenters with between 1-4 gigawatts of nuclear energy by early 2030s, indicating a continued focus on securing reliable and sustainable power sources.
As Meta continues to expand its datacenter infrastructure, it is clear that the company is committed to finding innovative solutions to meet the growing power BI demands of its operations. With the launch of Atem Energy LLC and the construction of new power plants, Meta is positioning itself to be a leader in the sustainable power supply for the datacenter industry.
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