There was no shortage of conjecture regarding the future of artificial intelligence in 2024, yet one aspect of AI most analysts, proponents and sceptics agree on is the amount of energy the game-changing technology requires.
By most estimates, a simple query to ChatGPT, which helped expose many more users to AI, uses 10 times more energy than a similar search on Google.
“In the training models like ChatGPT, you have lots of parameters … you have these large models with large parameters that are gobbling a lot of the energy up,” said Steven Chu, a former US energy secretary who served under president Barack Obama, during a recent speech in Abu Dhabi about AI's impact on electricity.
AI requires data centres, and those data centres need a lot of electricity, which some say will increasingly rely on a nuclear energy renaissance, especially in the US.
According to the International Energy Agency, data centres currently account for about 1 per cent of global electricity consumption, yet projections from a Goldman Sachs report indicate that by 2030 the proliferation of data centres in the US could bump that share to 8 per cent.
This need to meet the growing energy demand prompted by AI development was galvanised in recent months, with an announcement that Three Mile Island's Unit 1 nuclear reactor in Pennsylvania would be restarted as part of 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft.
“Under the agreement, Microsoft will purchase energy from the renewed plant as part of its goal to help match the power its data centres,” read a news release in part, from Constellation energy, which said described the power purchase agreement as the “largest ever”.
Besides the sheer size of the agreement, the announcement made headlines around the world for another reason.
Nuclear accident fears cast a long shadow
Three Mile Island was the site of the one of the biggest nuclear accidents in US history. In 1979, the core of the plant's Unit 2 was partially exposed, leading to a temporary evacuation of the nearby area and a lengthy clean-up.
There is still debate and continuing studies about the potential health effects stemming from the accident.
Constellation briefly touched upon the 1979 accident in its September news release.
“The Unit 1 reactor is located adjacent to TMI Unit 2, which shut down in 1979 and is in the process of being decommissioned by its owner, Energy Solutions,” the Constellation said. “TMI Unit 1 is a fully independent facility, and its long-term operation was not impacted by the Unit 2 accident.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also signalled his support for the nuclear renaissance amid the news about Constellation's plan to restart TMI.
“Pennsylvania’s nuclear energy industry plays a critical role in providing safe, reliable, carbon-free electricity that helps reduce emissions and grow Pennsylvania’s economy,” he said.
Microsoft is not alone in its push to meet the energy needs of data centres. Alphabet, parent company of Google, along with Amazon, Oracle, OpenAI and other tech giants have recently expressed interest in using small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) to help meet energy needs.
Yet even though recent public polling indicates US support for nuclear energy and innovation in the sector is on the rise, it is not without critics, many of whom say there is still plenty of opposition and cause for concern amid what some have described as a nuclear energy rebirth amid the AI tech boom.
“We’re in the middle of a nuclear zeitgeist which is mindless,” said Eric Epstein, director of Three Mile Island Alert, a grass roots safe energy organisation founded in 1977, two years before the Unit 2 accident.
“You can be euphoric and you can be wildly pronuclear … but at the end of the day nuclear is an economic fiction,” he told The National, referring to federal and state subsidies that often assist the US nuclear industries.
Because of the sheer number of jobs promised by the reboot of Three Mile Island, Mr Epstein said he is not surprised by elected officials' and corporate support for the announcement, but that his group will continue to oppose anything it believes present safety problems.
“We're currently a radioactive waste site,” he said, referring to the radioactive fuel in Unit 1, which was closed in 2019, and Unit 2, the site of the accident in 1979, which is still radioactive.
“We're also an island that floods in a river that empties into the Chesapeake Bay. If you could have choreographed the worst place to put a nuclear waste site, it would be Three Mile Island.”
Mr Epstein also said that tax dollars from those who live near Three Mile Island will ultimately be spent, yet the energy created by a reopened plant will not be going to those who are helping to foot the bill.
“Starting a zombie nuclear plant to provide electricity to data centres, inanimate beings in northern Virginia, Illinois and Ohio, that's worth fighting against,” he explained.
He also critiqued Constellation's plans to change the name of the plant from Three Mile Island to Crane Clean Energy centre.
Whether or not nuclear energy should be classified as clean energy has been hotly debate for decades. Proponents point out that it is significantly cleaner than coal.
In addition, can create long-term jobs and potential economic booms for the towns in which nuclear reactors operate.
“Renewed interest in nuclear energy has spread globally as nations seek to electrify their economies to support the digital economy and address the climate crisis,” Constellation said.
“Among their many attributes, nuclear plants can reliably produce carbon-free energy 24/7 in all weather and run for up to two years without needing to be refuelled.”
Yet the shadow of radioactive fears from the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl's deadly 1986 explosion and Fukushima's 2011 disaster loom large in the minds of many as proof that nuclear is only safe on paper.
Those fears, however, are about to go up against the AI appetite for energy, and that is something not lost on Mr Epstein, who shows no sign of slowing down his efforts to raise awareness about Three Mile Island.
“AI is becoming an national obsession, which means all safeguards, all supports, all logic, will be thrown to the wind,” he said.
Constellation energy said that, pending approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Three Mile Island's Unit 1 is expected to restart in 2028.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Calls
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Karen Gillian, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
4/5
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
In Praise of Zayed
A thousand grains of Sand whirl in the sky
To mark the journey of one passer-by
If then a Cavalcade disturbs the scene,
Shall such grains sing before they start to fly?
What man of Honour, and to Honour bred
Will fear to go wherever Truth has led?
For though a Thousand urge him to retreat
He'll laugh, until such counsellors have fled.
Stands always One, defiant and alone
Against the Many, when all Hope has flown.
Then comes the Test; and only then the time
Of reckoning what each can call his own.
History will not forget: that one small Seed
Sufficed to tip the Scales in time of need.
More than a debt, the Emirates owe to Zayed
Their very Souls, from outside influence freed.
No praise from Roderic can increase his Fame.
Steadfastness was the Essence of his name.
The changing years grow Gardens in the Sand
And build new Roads to Sand which stays the same.
But Hearts are not rebuilt, nor Seed resown.
What was, remains, essentially Alone.
Until the Golden Messenger, all-wise,
Calls out: "Come now, my Friend!" - and All is known
- Roderic Fenwick Owen
Indian construction workers stranded in Ajman with unpaid dues
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Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
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Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
The Specs
Engine 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp (542bhp in GTS model)
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000 (Dh549,000 for GTS)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
SPECS
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