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Today, Explained

AI’s nuclear option

Today, Explained

Vox

Daily News, Politics, News

4.49.5K Ratings

🗓️ 25 September 2024

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Microsoft needs so much energy for its AI data centers that it’s helping to reboot Three Mile Island, the site of the US’s worst nuclear accident. Evan Halper of the Washington Post explains. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and Amanda Lewellyn, engineered by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast Support Today, Explained by becoming a Vox Member today: http://www.vox.com/members A plaque at the site of the nuclear power plant on Three Mile Island. Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Think of all of the things we have thanks to Microsoft.

0:07.0

Windows, Windows 95, Windows XP, that iconic background with the green hill and blue sky.

0:15.0

Remember MSN Messenger?

0:16.6

Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Clippy,

0:20.0

Solitaire, Zoom, the Xbox, that Giff of Bill Gates dancing, that meme where Bill and Steve Jobs

0:27.0

are laughing in those red chairs, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aren't they trying

0:31.6

to get rid of mosquitoes?

0:35.1

The latest thing Microsoft is bestowing upon us is, of all things, a nuclear power plant. What's happening here is Microsoft needs so much energy for its AI operations and its

0:46.8

data centers that it's basically buying all the power from a nuclear plant.

0:52.4

That's as much power as could fuel 800,000 homes.

0:56.8

That's what's up on today explained.

1:00.7

Support for this show comes from Pendo.

1:03.0

Pendo improves the apps your customers and employees rely on.

1:06.0

Whether you're building applications for customers or managing applications for employees,

1:10.0

Pendo can help deliver better experiences for your users so they can get more value from

1:14.4

your software.

1:15.4

Visit Pendo.io slash podcast to learn more about how your team can use Pendo to start building

1:20.2

better digital experiences.

1:21.8

There you can also check out Pendo's lineup of free certification courses,

1:25.3

12 hours of in-depth training for your product management teams

1:28.4

on topics from AI to product analytics to product-led growth.

1:31.6

That's Pendo. I.O.

...

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