Fueling AI: How Big Tech’s Going Nuclear for Green Energy
Mike Colagrossi
Big Tech companies are eyeing nuclear power plants to provide emissions-free electricity for running their increasingly energy-intensive AI operations.
Urban Tech: Microsoft is set to fund the revival of Pennsylvania’s shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear plant to secure emissions-free power. Amazon and Google are also looking at nuclear, backing small modular reactors (SMRs).
Though untested at commercial scale, SMRs could be cheaper and faster to build than the massive reactors from the 1950s. Google is doubling down, too. Last week, it inked a deal with Kairos Power to deploy advanced nuclear projects across the U.S., aiming to supply up to 500 MW of clean energy. Nuclear is shaping up to be tech’s new power play.
Balancing New Technology and Energy Consumption
Electricity demand from data centers, AI, and crypto is on track to double from 460 TWh in 2022 to over 1,000 TWh by 2026—about the same as Japan’s total power consumption. With usage spiking, new regulations and tech improvements will be essential to keep data center energy use in check, according to the International Energy Agency.
- Google aims to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE) by 2030, matching demand with CFE supply every hour, worldwide.
- A recent Pew Research study found that while more Americans favor solar (78%) and wind (72%) over nuclear, support for nuclear power has risen 13 percentage points since 2020.
With Big Tech and public opinion increasingly backing nuclear as a reliable green power source, the path to reducing fossil fuel dependency is gaining momentum.
