Tech Giants Unite in Nuclear Energy Push, Missing Microsoft and Oracle
The escalating need for clean, reliable energy to power advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) is driving significant investment in nuclear power. A recent Large Energy Users Pledge, spearheaded by the World Nuclear Association, aims to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050.
Major players like Amazon, Meta, and Google have signed on to the initiative, which seeks to bolster energy security and provide continuous clean energy. Notably absent from the pledge, however, are Microsoft and Oracle, despite their parallel explorations of nuclear energy to power their data centers. Microsoft, for example, has already taken steps in this direction, including a 2024 deal to source power from the restored Three Mile Island nuclear plant.
The pledge, initially unveiled at the World Nuclear Symposium in September 2023, has garnered support from 14 major global banks and financial institutions, along with 140 companies in the nuclear industry and 31 countries. It recognizes nuclear energy’s crucial role in meeting the rising energy demands of high-consumption sectors like data centers.
Lucia Tian, Google’s Head of Clean Energy & Decarbonization Technologies, highlighted the significance of nuclear power, stating, “We are proud to sign a pledge in support of tripling nuclear capacity by 2050, as nuclear power will be pivotal in building a reliable, secure, and sustainable energy future.” Google plans to “continue to work alongside our partners to accelerate the commercialization of advanced nuclear technologies that can provide the around-the-clock clean energy necessary to meet growing electricity demand around the world.”
Urvi Parekh, Head of Global Energy at Meta, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of reliable and clean energy: “As global economies expand, the need for a reliable, clean, and resilient energy supply is paramount. Nuclear energy, with its ability to provide continuous power, can help meet this rising demand.”
Brandon Oyer, Head of Americas Energy and Water for AWS (Amazon Web Services), underscored the urgency of expanding nuclear power. “Accelerating nuclear energy development will be critical to strengthening our nation’s security, meeting future energy demands, and addressing climate change. Amazon supports the World Nuclear Association’s pledge, and is proud to have invested more than $1 billion over the last year in nuclear energy projects and technologies, which is part of our broader Climate Pledge commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040.”
The development of micro nuclear reactors, anticipated to be available by the early 2030s, offers a potentially quicker and more affordable route for powering large-scale computing operations. These smaller reactors could be a game-changer for data centers.
The Large Energy Users Pledge, accessible as a PDF document, encompasses the commitments of Amazon, Meta, Google, and ten other companies, along with a supporting statement from Siemens Energy.
