Nuclear power in the US is getting a big boost from Big Tech as energy-hungry AI usage grows.
Amazon on Wednesday said it is investing $500 million in developing nuclear technologies to power its data centers. That announcement came just two days after Google revealed its own nuclear energy project.
“The grid needs new electricity sources to support AI technologies that are powering major scientific advances, improving services for businesses and customers, and driving national competitiveness and economic growth,” Google said in a blog post Monday.
Last month, Microsoft announced plans to work with Constellation Energy to power its data centers by enlisting the help of the Three Mile Island plant, which in the late 1970s was the site of the worst nuclear accident in US history.
Generative AI models, like those used by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot, require massive computational power from data centers — that is, cloud computing — to process and analyze large datasets, complete complex tasks and train AI systems.
For both Amazon and Google, the energy projects will involve a newer nuclear power technology known as small modular reactors. These advanced constructions allow for a smaller physical footprint and are designed to be built faster than traditional reactors.
Both companies also cited a mission to reduce carbon emissions, which are a significant factor driving climate change. “One of the fastest ways to address climate change is by transitioning our society to carbon-free energy sources, and nuclear energy is both carbon-free and able to scale,” Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services, said in a blog post.
In Washington state, Amazon said, it will be working with Energy Northwest, a consortium of state public utilities, to develop four reactors expected to generate enough to power the equivalent of more than 770,000 US homes. It’s also working with Dominion Energy in Virginia, where nearly half the data centers in the US are located, according to CNBC.
Google said it has signed an agreement to purchase nuclear energy from multiple small modular reactors to be developed by Kairos Power, with the first coming online by 2030 and the others to follow through 2035. Amazon is also looking at a time frame of the early 2030s.