AI’s Energy Appetite Revives Nuclear Power—with a High-Tech Twist

The explosive growth of generative AI is driving a profound shift in how the world’s largest tech companies think about energy. With data centers now consuming electricity at historic rates, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are turning to a power source once considered too controversial for mainstream deployment: nuclear energy.

Specifically, these companies are investing in small modular reactors (SMRs)—compact, next-generation nuclear facilities capable of delivering steady, carbon-free baseload power. Unlike solar or wind, which fluctuate with weather, SMRs provide the around-the-clock reliability that AI inference and training workloads demand.

This move signals not just a revival of nuclear technology, but a rebranding: from legacy infrastructure to cutting-edge energy innovation. SMRs are designed for faster deployment, safer operation, and smaller footprints, making them ideal for pairing directly with hyperscale data centers.

Analysts forecast that the global market for data center-integrated SMRs will surge in the coming decade, driven by the parallel pressures of AI scalability and climate responsibility. As tech giants race to decarbonize operations without sacrificing performance, nuclear is shedding its stigma—and emerging as the unlikely cornerstone of the AI era’s energy strategy.

In powering intelligence, the future may lie not just in silicon—but in uranium.