US tech giants continue to embrace the nuclear option
Image: Constellation Energy
Yesterday, Meta announced a deal with nuclear energy provider Constellation Energy to buy massive amounts of electricity over the next two-plus decades to fuel its AI ambitions.
The deal calls for 1.1 gigawatts of power—just shy of Doc Brown’s favorite number—to be supplied from a Constellation nuclear plant in Illinois between 2027–2046, or enough to power ~800,000 US homes.
Meta won’t actually use the energy, however: Constellation will deliver electricity on behalf of Meta to the local grid, helping the tech giant maintain its decarbonization goals.
Welcome to the nuclear family
Meta’s agreement is the latest in a slew of deals between nuclear energy firms and big tech companies, as the industry continues to embrace the development of power-hungry AI systems.
- Microsoft has a 20-year agreement to buy nuclear energy from Constellation after it restarts the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania (the site of the worst nuclear meltdown in US history).
- Google last month signed a deal to develop three new nuclear sites that will produce a combined 1.8 gigawatts of power.
- Amazon has invested $500+ million in the development of small modular nuclear reactors, which have faster construction times and can be built closer to power grids than conventional options.
Why use nuclear energy? Fission reactors—not to be confused with fusion reactors, which are still years or decades from commercial viability—can be used to generate electricity without emitting any carbon dioxide as a by-product.
- Replacing fossil fuel-based power plants with fission reactors on a large scale could allow America to sharply reduce the amount of CO2 emitted by the electricity industry, which collectively accounts for ~30% of all such emissions in the US.
- Nuclear reactors are also able to produce maximum power over 93% of the time during the year, making them twice as reliable as fossil-fuel plants and 3x more reliable than solar or wind plants.
On the flip side: Critics of nuclear fission cite a range of downsides, including extremely high building and operating costs—sometimes more than 15x original forecasts—as well as challenges in the disposal of radioactive waste.
There’s also the potential for nuclear meltdowns like those that occurred at Fukushima, Three Mile Island, or Chernobyl, where the surrounding area was rendered uninhabitable for years due to radioactivity.
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Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that it will take more than a handful of deals with Big Tech to transform nuclear into a viable, economical source of clean energy at scale—but the effort to do so is vital for sustaining high standards of living as the world transitions off fossil fuels.
- Others contend that no energy strategy for the US or for the world is complete without a significant reliance on safe nuclear energy, and governments at all levels should make it easier to build new nuclear energy facilities.
- “Nuclear power could rise again” –WaPo Editorial Board
- “The future is nuclear. The U.S., and Pittsburgh, must be ready” –Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial Board
“Maryland’s leaders warm to nuclear power: Are they wrong?” –Baltimore Sun Editorial Board
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that in order to usher in America’s new Golden Age, we must have abundant, affordable, and reliable power—and nuclear plants tick all of those boxes, meaning the US should fully invest in the sector.
- Others contend that the Trump admin can usher in America’s new economic, military and energy renaissance and forge a new era of American prosperity by embracing a new nuclear energy-based future.
- “The Time to Forge America’s Nuclear Energy Future is Now” –Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN)
- “Trump’s nuclear energy moment: Energizing America” –S. Rob Sobhani, Washington Times
- “We need nuclear energy — but we must face the risks” –Mike Maxwell, Deseret
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