Sprawling data centers, which are the backbone of modern digital infrastructure, require a significant amount of electricity to process, store, and manage the massive amounts of data generated by billions of users daily. This has led companies to consider nuclear energy as a viable solution to meet their energy demands.
Tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have recognized the need for clean energy to power their data centers and drive AI innovation. As a result, they have started to incorporate nuclear energy into their business agendas by forming partnerships with nuclear energy startups.
Amazon recently made a substantial investment in nuclear power startup X-energy, leading a Series C-1 funding round of approximately $500 million. X-energy, based in Rockville, Maryland, specializes in developing advanced small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) for clean energy generation.
The collaboration between Amazon and X-energy aims to bring more than 5 gigawatts of new power projects online across the United States by 2039. This represents the largest commercial deployment target of SMRs to date. SMRs are preferred over traditional installations due to their ability to lower costs and expedite the construction of nuclear power plants.
In addition to X-energy, Amazon has made agreements with other nuclear energy providers like Washington’s Energy Northwest and Virginia’s Dominion Energy. These partnerships are part of Amazon’s commitment to achieving sustainability goals, including going carbon-free by 2040.
Similarly, Google has signed an agreement with nuclear energy startup Kairos Power to build seven small reactors that will supply electricity to its data centers. Microsoft has also made a deal with Constellation Energy to revive the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania to fuel its cloud computing and AI data centers.
The renewed interest in nuclear energy by these tech giants is driven by the energy-intensive nature of AI and data centers. These facilities consume massive amounts of electricity to meet the growing demand for cloud computing, AI-driven applications, and 24/7 online services.
As AI regulation expert Sanjay Puri pointed out, AI is power-hungry, with a single query using about ten times more power than a Google search. To sustain this growth, alternative energy sources like nuclear energy, wind, and solar power are essential.
In conclusion, the integration of nuclear energy into the operations of tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft reflects a commitment to meeting energy demands sustainably. By exploring alternative energy sources like nuclear power, these companies are not only addressing their energy needs but also working towards achieving their climate and sustainability targets.
