Amazon, Alphabet’s Google, and Meta Platforms announced their support for the initiative to triple nuclear energy production worldwide by 2050. This commitment aligns the tech companies with a pledge initially adopted in December 2023 by over 20 countries, including the United States, during the U.N. Climate Change Conference.
Financial institutions, such as Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley, had previously backed the pledge. While the commitment is nonbinding, its significance lies in the growing consensus across leading industries, financial institutions, and governments regarding the expansion of nuclear power.
The increasing energy demands of Amazon, Google, and Meta, driven by their investments in artificial intelligence centers, has led the tech sector to explore nuclear power as a viable solution. The companies have concluded that renewable energy sources alone will not provide the reliable power needed to sustain their operations.
In October, Amazon and Google announced investments in the development of small nuclear reactors, a technology still in its nascent stages. This technology aims to reduce the costs and timelines associated with new reactor construction in the U.S. Meta also issued a call in December, inviting nuclear developers to submit proposals that would help the company add up to 4 gigawatts of new nuclear power capacity within the United States.
The pledge was signed on the sidelines of the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference in Houston and was led by the World Nuclear Association.
