Masayoshi Son: Nuclear fusion is the key to the future of artificial intelligence and will replace natural gas in 15 years
Masayoshi Son, founder of SoftBank Group, said that in the near future, nuclear fusion technology will provide the most realistic solution to the growing energy needs of artificial intelligence data centers. Sun Zhengyi believes that currently natural gas is the main energy source supporting most of the power needs of data centers, but in the future, nuclear fusion will play a key role. According to Masayoshi Son, the global data center capacity will reach 3 terawatts by 2040. "Fusion will become a new, cheaper, cleaner and safer energy source on Earth," Son said at the annual SoftBank World event in Tokyo.
Masayoshi Son, founder of SoftBank Group, said that in the near future, nuclear fusion technology will provide the most realistic solution to the growing energy needs of artificial intelligence data centers. Sun Zhengyi believes that currently natural gas is the main energy source supporting most of the power needs of data centers, but in the future, nuclear fusion will play a key role. According to Masayoshi Son, the global data center capacity will reach 3 terawatts by 2040. "Fusion will become a new, cheaper, cleaner and safer energy source on Earth," Son said at the annual SoftBank World event in Tokyo. "Is it really okay to use a lot of natural gas to generate electricity? I think fusion will take over in 15 years." However, some analysts believe that if nuclear fusion technology is to become a viable energy source, it still faces many technical and financial challenges. Investment in nuclear fusion surges Nuclear fusion is similar to the process that produces energy in the sun and other stars. In short, it is the process of combining two lighter atoms, such as deuterium or tritium, into a heavier atom, which can release huge amounts of energy. In theory, nuclear fusion can provide a large amount of energy, have low carbon emissions, produce significantly less radioactive waste than traditional nuclear fission, and there is no risk of chain reactions. Investment in fusion companies has grown significantly in recent years, with many companies moving from the research and development stage to building prototypes. For example, earlier this month, Google announced that it would provide 411 million euros (approximately US$468 million) in financing to German nuclear fusion startup Proxima Fusion to support its construction of Europe's first commercial nuclear fusion power station; in addition, the U.S. Department of Energy aims to achieve large-scale application of this technology in the mid-2030s. The technology offers tantalizing visions of near-infinite clean energy, but so far only a handful of countries have successfully mastered its basic principles, and none have yet been commercialized. In contrast, natural gas is still in abundant supply and accounts for more than a fifth of global electricity generation. But while it emits less greenhouse gases than oil or coal, burning natural gas still produces emissions that warm the planet. When asked about the future prospects of artificial intelligence, Son believed that the huge cost of building data center infrastructure will eventually pay off, and refuted doubts about whether investing trillions of dollars in artificial intelligence hardware can bring benefits. He said, “Asking whether artificial intelligence is a bubble is an extremely stupid question. People who ask this question do not really understand or use artificial intelligence in depth.” He also warned that if Japan fails to realize the potential of artificial intelligence, the Japanese economy will miss opportunities to create wealth for the world's most successful companies such as Google, Amazon and Meta Platforms. (