World leaders assembling in Paris this week to discuss disruptive artificial intelligence technology are quickly jumping on board using nuclear power to fuel their AI agendas.
Tech titans and government leaders, including Vice President J.D. Vance on his first international trip since Inauguration Day, flocked to France on Monday for high-level meetings and to woo top researchers and investors.
While questions about the cutting-edge technology’s effect on work and life abound, those at the AI Action Summit are increasingly concluding that nuclear power is an answer to a critical question facing all the big players — how to meet the energy-thirsty needs of major AI projects.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pitched attendees on his AI ambitions and urged people to accept that nuclear power would drive the AI overhaul of life worldwide.
“As an environmentalist, for me, the debate is over: Large-scale nuclear reactors must be part of the solution for the future because if we’re not willing to embrace nuclear now, then coal-powered AI from other parts of the world will shape the coming decades for the worse,” Mr. Trudeau told attendees.
Mr. Trudeau attempted to recruit attendees to set up shop in Canada, with a strategic nod toward his nation’s cold climate. He said while Canada’s temperatures plummet to frigid a few times per year, that just “means half-price on cooling for your data centers.”
“If you’re looking for a strong AI partner, a reliable AI partner, a trustworthy AI partner, Canada is it,” Mr. Trudeau said. “We have renowned academic institutions, innovative businesses, prolific tech incubators and the best-educated workforce of all OECD countries.”
France is pushing forward with its own nuclear power play as well. The French government is expected to pledge a gigawatt of nuclear power for a new AI project with a multibillion-dollar price tag, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The French project, supported by private investors, appears to rival America’s Stargate project announced by President Trump soon after taking office. Stargate is a joint venture that says it will invest up to $500 billion to build AI infrastructure in America with OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank leading the charge.
French President Emmanuel Macron is presiding over the summit, alongside his co-chair, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr. Modi will visit the U.S. upon departing France, where he will meet with Mr. Trump at the White House.
Mr. Modi said Monday while he is in France he will “visit the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project, in which India is a member of the consortium of partner countries including France, to harness energy for the global good.”
American technologists are interested in nuclear power for AI too. Last year, Google and Microsoft were among the Big Tech companies that pursued nuclear energy projects and sources to power their data centers.
Representatives from both companies were on hand at the AI summit on Monday, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Mr. Pichai told attendees on Monday that governments will need to help “drive investment” for AI with a focus on infrastructure, skilled workers and adoption of the tech.
Mr. Vance arrived on Monday and will reportedly meet with Mr. Macron on Tuesday, when their conversation is expected to extend beyond AI and technology and into other international affairs.
Despite “action” being in the AI summit’s name, it is doubtful that much will get settled surrounding the global debate over AI rules and standards. The summit’s website, for example, made clear participants understood no “single governance initiative” would oversee AI globally.
Close observers of the summit, though, expect to see a range of announcements from participants involving risks and safety issues. For example, a multilateral agreement on the environmental impact of AI is expected to be signed at the summit later this week, according to the nonprofit Future of Life Institute.
Mr. Pichai told attendees that the “biggest risk could be missing out.”
“Every generation worries that the new technology will change the lives of the next generation for the worse — and yet, it’s almost always the opposite,” Mr. Pichai said, according to a transcript of his speech published by Google.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.