The last couple of weeks have been like a cool version of that movie Groundhog Day, where you live the same day over and over again. Except instead of Bill Murray living the same day over and over again in a small town in Pennsylvania, we’re seeing tech companies broadcast their commitment to nuclear energy. It seems like every day we are waking up to news of a company announcing their plans to build nuclear reactors to power their growing energy needs.
Last month, Microsoft announced that it would be partnering with Constellation Energy to reopen Three Mile Island, soon to be renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center, to electrify their growing number of data centers.
Then on October 14th, Google (Alphabet) announced that it would be purchasing nuclear energy from small modular reactors that are being developed by Kairos to power their growing AI and energy needs. Google will buy a total of 500 MW of power from six or seven reactors that Kairos Power will develop, construct, and operate. The plants will be sited in areas able to provide clean electricity for Google’s data centers beginning in 2030.
THEN on October 16th, Amazon Web Services announced agreements with X-Energy, Energy Northwest, and Dominion Energy to develop nuclear energy projects and help them meet their climate goals. With X-Energy and Energy Northwest, they plan to begin deploying four advanced SMRs in Washington in the early 2030s. According to Amazon, these reactors are “expected to generate roughly 320 megawatts (MW) of capacity for the first phase of the project, with the option to increase to 960 MW total—enough to power the equivalent of more than 770,000 U.S. homes.” Amazon has recently acquired a data center facility adjacent to Talen Energy's plant in Pennsylvania.
News coming in hot like this indicates that with a rapidly growing need for energy, more and more customers are realizing nuclear’s clean and reliable attributes. Speaking about the latest announcements, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said “Revitalizing America’s nuclear sector is key to adding more carbon-free energy to the grid and meeting the needs of our growing economy — from A.I. and data centers to manufacturing and health care.”
Congress showed strong support for nuclear this year with the passage of the Atomic Energy Advancement Act, legislation that drives regulatory improvements that will enable the next fleet of nuclear reactors to be built, which is a clear indicator that the U.S. government saw the rising importance of nuclear energy. These announcements are a clear indicator that it is important to the private sector as well.
These tech companies like Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon have all set ambitious climate goals, like Amazon’s goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 or of remaining in accordance with the 24/7 Carbon-free Energy Compact to ensure carbon free power is available every hour of the day. However, with the recent surge of AI and the energy it demands, those goals were put into great danger of not being met. Presently, data centers already consume over 4% of the energy produced in the United States. That number is expected to grow to over 9% by 2030. Translation: We need more clean energy. Now.
I don’t know how Groundhog Day ends, to be honest. I assume something about seeing your own shadow. I just know I don’t want this loop to end. We need to keep waking up to news about investments into new nuclear.
Last month, Microsoft announced that it would be partnering with Constellation Energy to reopen Three Mile Island, soon to be renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center, to electrify their growing number of data centers.
Then on October 14th, Google (Alphabet) announced that it would be purchasing nuclear energy from small modular reactors that are being developed by Kairos to power their growing AI and energy needs. Google will buy a total of 500 MW of power from six or seven reactors that Kairos Power will develop, construct, and operate. The plants will be sited in areas able to provide clean electricity for Google’s data centers beginning in 2030.
THEN on October 16th, Amazon Web Services announced agreements with X-Energy, Energy Northwest, and Dominion Energy to develop nuclear energy projects and help them meet their climate goals. With X-Energy and Energy Northwest, they plan to begin deploying four advanced SMRs in Washington in the early 2030s. According to Amazon, these reactors are “expected to generate roughly 320 megawatts (MW) of capacity for the first phase of the project, with the option to increase to 960 MW total—enough to power the equivalent of more than 770,000 U.S. homes.” Amazon has recently acquired a data center facility adjacent to Talen Energy's plant in Pennsylvania.
News coming in hot like this indicates that with a rapidly growing need for energy, more and more customers are realizing nuclear’s clean and reliable attributes. Speaking about the latest announcements, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said “Revitalizing America’s nuclear sector is key to adding more carbon-free energy to the grid and meeting the needs of our growing economy — from A.I. and data centers to manufacturing and health care.”
Congress showed strong support for nuclear this year with the passage of the Atomic Energy Advancement Act, legislation that drives regulatory improvements that will enable the next fleet of nuclear reactors to be built, which is a clear indicator that the U.S. government saw the rising importance of nuclear energy. These announcements are a clear indicator that it is important to the private sector as well.
These tech companies like Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon have all set ambitious climate goals, like Amazon’s goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 or of remaining in accordance with the 24/7 Carbon-free Energy Compact to ensure carbon free power is available every hour of the day. However, with the recent surge of AI and the energy it demands, those goals were put into great danger of not being met. Presently, data centers already consume over 4% of the energy produced in the United States. That number is expected to grow to over 9% by 2030. Translation: We need more clean energy. Now.
I don’t know how Groundhog Day ends, to be honest. I assume something about seeing your own shadow. I just know I don’t want this loop to end. We need to keep waking up to news about investments into new nuclear.
Lucas Johnson
Digtial Content Communications Manager
