Microsoft decided the best way to power its data centers in the future is by adopting a nuclear strategy.
As Datacenter Dynamics reports (via The Register), Microsoft posted a new job opening last week for a "Principal Program Manager Nuclear Technology." The main responsibility of the role is to implement a "global Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and microreactor energy strategy." The end goal being to run the data centers that power the Microsoft Cloud and AI workloads using a reactor rather than relying on the grid.
The number of candidates suitable for this job is going to be fairly limited. Microsoft requires someone with a "deep understanding of nuclear technologies and regulatory affairs," who is also capable of working with a range of groups within Microsoft to "achieve joint or complimentary goals."
On top of that, the company needs someone capable of researching and developing other energy technologies that aren't ready for commercial deployment yet. That's likely to include fusion energy.
SMRs have yet to be proven beyond the prototype stage. In the US, only three sites are currently considering future deployment of such a reactor: Tennessee, Utah, and Alaska.
If Microsoft does go ahead with this plan, there are 10 existing regions across the US where an SMR could be deployed at a data center. Hopwever, with the technology still being so new and ultimately unproven, whoever secures this new position at Microsoft could spend years simply laying the groundwork and gaining the necessary regulatory (and local residents) approvals.
On the one hand, nuclear power is considered a clean form of energy because it produces zero carbon emissions. However, it does produce nuclear waste and would make Microsoft's data centers an even greater target for state-sponsored hackers.