Big Tech's power demands mean nuclear is getting a fresh look from electricity providers
Nuclear power is garnering renewed attention amid growing demand for power and cleaner energy
NEW YORK — Nuclear power is garnering renewed attention amid growing demand for power and cleaner energy.
The power source has seen a resurgence as nations focus on reducing emissions in an effort to combat climate change. At the same time, the technology sector's energy needs are growing in the form of data centers and powerful advances in artificial intelligence.
Those factors have prompted companies and governments to look more closely at a power source whose potential hazards made it unpopular only a few decades ago. The U.S. is the fastest growing market for data centers, according to McKinsey, which forecasts demand to more than triple by 2030 to 80 gigawatts.
Constellation Energy plans on reopening Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania under a deal with Microsoft. Oracle plans to use new technology in the form of small modular nuclear reactors to power its data centers, while Google is purchasing nuclear energy from small modular reactors in development by Kairos Power. Amazon bought a data center powered by nuclear energy in Pennsylvania earlier this year and is also investing in small nuclear reactors.
“The power sector is rapidly becoming a protagonist in the AI story,” McKinsey analysts said in a report. “Access to power has become a critical factor in driving new data center builds.”
That demand, coupled with goals to get the nation's power usage to “net zero” carbon emissions, means that the expectations for nuclear power contributions are jumping. Nuclear power already provides about 20% of all electricity generation in the U.S., and the International Atomic Energy Agency expects that nuclear electrical generating
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