Plant Vogtle, a nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Ga., is the largest source of clean energy in the U.S. following the addition of two new reactors, according to Georgia Power. The plant’s Unit 4 reactor began commercial operations in April and Unit 3 went online last year. They are the first reactors built from scratch and connected to the grid in over three decades and together can power over a million homes and businesses, according to the utility provider.

But bringing a nuclear power plant to life is difficult and costly. The two new reactors at Plant Vogtle were initially budgeted at $14 billion, but that price tag more than doubled. The project also ran seven years behind schedule.

“We had some challenges, it was an arduous journey, things that we didn’t anticipate,” said Chris Womack, CEO of Southern Company. “From the tsunami in Fukushima to the contractor going bankrupt to Covid. There were a number of things that occurred.

The U.S. has 54 operating nuclear power plants and 94 reactors, making it the world’s largest producer of nuclear power — accounting for 30% of global nuclear electricity, according to the World Nuclear Association.

But reactors in the U.S. are 42 years old on average, and they’re getting older. Replacing them is a complex task.

So why is it so hard to build nuclear reactors in the U.S. and should the new Vogtle reactors be a blueprint or a cautionary tale for the future?

Chapters:
0:00-2:25 Introduction
2:26-6:04 Chapter 1. Plant Vogtle
6:05-9:46 Chapter 2. Falling Behind
9:47 – 12:50 Chapter 3. Small modular reactors

Produced by: Shawn Baldwin
Edited by: Nic Golden Henry
Supervising Producer: Jeniece Pettitt
Reporter: Pippa Stevens
Animation: Christina Locopo
Additional Production: Harriet Taylor, Van Applegate
Additional Footage: Getty Images, NuScale Power, Southern Company

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Why It’s So Hard To Build Nuclear Power Plants In The U.S.

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The U.S. is home to the majority of the world’s data centers with just under 3,000, compared to the country with the next-closest amount, United Kingdom, at just 360. This concentration has brought up the value of the land where the data centers are built. Prices are soaring as much as ten times the original value in one Vint Hill, Virginia case. So how did this land zoned for data construction get so valuable, and will investors keep pouring money into the infrastructure that supports AI while potentially upsetting nearby residents?

Chapters:
0:00 – Cold Open
1:13 – Where to build
2:37 – Private investments
5:18 – Pushback
7:53 – What’s next

Produced and Edited by: Christian Nunley
Additional Camera by: Katie Tarasov, Andrew Evers
Animation: Emily Rabbideau, Jason Reginato
Supervising Producer: Lindsey Jacobson, Tala Hadavi
Additional Footage: Getty Images
Additional Sources: Loudoun County, Fauquier County, AWS, NBC4 Washington, Data Center Map, CBRE

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How Data Centers Became Hot Real Estate Investments

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Samsung may have uncovered what went wrong with its Note 7 batteries but here’s what it has to worry about next.
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Here’s The Next Problem Facing Samsung | Tech Bet | CNBC

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Microsoft, Google and Amazon, along with other tech companies, have been getting creative in how they’re poaching talent from top artificial intelligence startups. Earlier this month, Google inked an unusual deal with Character.ai to hire away its prominent founder, Noam Shazeer, along with more than one-fifth of its workforce while also licensing its technology. It looked like an acquisition, but the deal was structured so that it wasn’t. Google wasn’t the first to take this approach.
In March, Microsoft signed a deal with Inflection that allowed Microsoft to use Inflection’s models and to hire most of the startup’s staff. Amazon followed in June with a faux acquisition of Adept where it hired top talent from the AI startup and licensed its technology.
It’s a playbook that skirts regulators and their crackdown on Big Tech dominance, provides an exit for AI startups struggling to make money, and allows megacaps to pick up the talent needed in the AI arms race.
But while tech giants might think they’re outsmarting antitrust enforcers, they could be playing with fire. CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa has the story.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:50 – Pseudo acquisitions
5:41 – Playing with fire
7:13 – Who’s left holding the bag

Anchor: Deirdre Bosa
Produced by: Laura Batchelor, Jasmine Wu
Edited by: Andrew Evers
Supervising Producer: Jeniece Pettitt
Additional Footage: Character.ai, Getty Images

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How Amazon, Microsoft and Google Are Raiding AI Startups For Talent

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Jessi Hempel, Wired senior writer, and James Cakmak, Monness Crespi, Hardt & Company stock analyst, provide insight to Facebook’s challenges after claims Cambridge Analytica improperly gained access to user data.
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Facebook Will Become ‘Scapegoat’ For Large Tech, Says Pro Jessi Hempel | CNBC

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