To continue its efforts in artificial intelligence (AI), software giant Microsoft is venturing into the potentially dangerous world of nuclear energy. The IT giant has signaled a strategic effort to establish an energy strategy based on small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors by posting a vacancy for a lead program manager in nuclear technology. This decision has been made public by posting the vacancy. The goal of this initiative is to provide support for the company’s cloud and artificial intelligence systems, which are becoming increasingly energy intensive.
The duties of the position and required credentials are described in the job posting for the function, which is no longer accepting applications. It is expected that the ideal candidate will have at least six years of experience in the field of engineering, the energy market or the nuclear sector. According to the job description, the position’s primary responsibilities will include “maturing and implementing a global energy strategy for small modular reactors (SMR) and microreactors.” In addition, the position requires investigating a variety of alternative experimental energy methods.
Data centers and artificial intelligence models have a well-deserved reputation for excessive energy consumption. According to the findings of a study published in 2019 in the MIT Technology Review, training a single AI model could produce as much carbon dioxide as five cars over the course of their lifespan. Microsoft plans to address this problem by improving the algorithmic and hardware efficiency of both software and hardware, and by maximizing the use of renewable energy sources such as nuclear power. According to the United States Office of Nuclear Energy, nuclear energy is the only form of energy that does not emit any carbon emissions; therefore, it is an attractive choice for Microsoft’s environmental projects.
The change, on the other hand, is not without difficulties and opponents. Nuclear power, according to the findings of researchers at Stanford University, is not a panacea for solving environmental problems due to its lengthy planning-to-operation time, enormous ecological footprint and the danger of a meltdown. In addition, there are issues with radioactive waste management and the establishment of a uranium supply chain, especially in light of the fact that Russia has been the main supplier of highly enriched uranium fuel (HALEU) to the rest of the world.
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