The UK needs more nuclear energy generation just to power all the AI datacenters that are going to be built, according to the head of Amazon Web Services (AWS).

In an interview with the BBC, AWS chief executive Matt Garman said the world is going to have to build new technologies to cope with the projected energy demands of all the bit barns that are planned to support AI.

“I believe nuclear is a big part of that, particularly as we look ten years out,” he said.

AWS has already confirmed plans to invest £8 billion ($10.6 billion) on building out its digital and AI infrastructure in Britain between now and the end of 2028 to meet “the growing needs of our customers and partners.”

Yet the cloud computing arm of Amazon isn’t the only biz popping up new bit barns in Blighty. Google started building a $1 billion campus at Waltham Cross near London last year, while Microsoft began construction of the Park Royal facility in West London in 2023, and made public its plans for another datacenter on the site of a former power station in Leeds last year.

Earleir this year, approval was granted for what is set to become Europe’s largest cloud and AI datacenter at a site in Hertfordshire, while another not far away has just been granted outline planning permission by a UK government minister, overruling the local district authority.

This activity is accelerating thanks to the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, which includes streamlined planning processes to expedite the building of more data facilities in the hope this will drive AI development.

As The Register has previously reported, the infrastructure needed for AI is getting more power-hungry with each generation, and the datacenter expansion to serve the growth in AI services has led to concerns over the amount of energy required.

Global consumption by bit barns is forecast to more than double by 2030, the International Energy Agency (IEA) recently warned, while National Grid in the UK estimated it will grow 500 percent over the next decade in this country.

Concerns are high enough that the UK government formed an AI Energy Council, which met for the first time recently, to ensure the country’s energy infrastructure can cope with the strain of all the planned facilities.

Much of its focus appears to be on upgrading the electricity grid and ensuring requests to be connected are served in a timely manner, rather than bringing more energy generation to the table.

“AI is driving exponential demand for compute, and that means power. Ultimately, a long-term, resilient energy strategy is critical,” said Séamus Dunne, managing director in the UK and Ireland for datacenter biz Digital Realty.

“For the UK to stay competitive in the global digital economy, we need a stable, scalable, and low-carbon energy mix to support the next generation of data infrastructure. With demand already outpacing supply, and the UK aiming to establish itself as an AI powerhouse, it’s vital we stay open to a range of solutions. That also means building public trust and working with government to ensure the grid can keep pace.”

Garman told the BBC that nuclear is a “great solution” to datacenter energy requirements as it is “an excellent source of zero-carbon, 24/7 power.”

This might be true, but new atomic capacity simply can’t be delivered fast enough to meet near-term demand, as we reported earlier this year.  The World Nuclear Association says that an atomic plant typically takes at least five years to construct, whereas natural gas plants are often built in about two years.

Construction on the UK’s Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset started in 2017, but is not expected to be operational before 2030.

“Undoubtedly, nuclear energy will serve as part of the world’s energy mix for years to come,” Canalys principal ESG analyst Elsa Nightingale told The Register. “However, investing heavily in nuclear energy doesn’t address the core issue. For one, nuclear projects have long lead times while AI’s energy demands are coming now.”

Some of the hyperscale tech firms such as Google and Amazon are investing in technology such as small modular reactors (SMRs) to either feed the grid or power their datacenters directly, but this is immature technology that isn’t expected to be ready before 2030.

Small wonder that Garman says AWS is looking ten years out when he talks about nuclear.

We asked the UK government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) about Garman’s comments, and a spokesperson told us: “Our Clean Power Action Plan will enable the development and growth of new energy-intensive industries such as datacenters.”

“We are also reforming the outdated connections process, freeing up grid capacity to make it easier for datacenters to secure a timely connection.” ®