Amazon has made a bold move into nuclear power with three major deals totaling over $52 billion in investments across the United States. The agreements include partnerships with Dominion Energy and X-energy to explore the development of small modular reactors, a type of advanced nuclear reactor that is smaller and more cost-effective than traditional nuclear plants. Amazon’s goal is to bring more than 5 gigawatts of new power projects online by 2039 to meet the increasing demands of artificial intelligence and data centers.
Amazon, along with other tech giants like Microsoft and Google, sees small modular reactors as a promising solution to their growing power needs. These reactors can be built more quickly and at a lower cost than traditional nuclear plants, while also being carbon-free and reliable, operating 24-hours-a-day. With the potential to triple U.S. nuclear capacity by 2050, nuclear power is seen as a key option for meeting decarbonization goals and providing nonstop power.
AWS CEO Matt Garman views nuclear power as a critical piece of Amazon’s data center expansion plans to meet demand and achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. While there are concerns about radioactive waste management and costs associated with new nuclear technology, Garman believes that advanced small reactors are safer and more efficient than older plants. Amazon’s partnerships with X-energy and Dominion aim to develop SMRs in Virginia and Washington state, with plans to bring these projects online in the next decade.
The push towards nuclear power comes as data center power needs are expected to increase dramatically, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence. Amazon, which operates data centers in over 100 locations globally, is investing billions in new projects to keep up with demand. The partnership with X-energy and Dominion represents a significant step towards utilizing advanced nuclear technology to provide clean and scalable energy for data centers.
While challenges remain in terms of regulatory approvals and deployment timelines, X-energy and other SMR developers are seeing increased interest and funding for their projects. Tech companies like Google, Alphabet, and Amazon are leading the way in exploring nuclear power as a sustainable energy option for their data centers. With ambitious plans to build multiple SMR projects in the coming years, the future of advanced small reactors looks promising in meeting the growing energy demands of the tech industry.
Overall, the shift towards nuclear power signals a significant development in the energy landscape, with tech companies leading the way in embracing advanced technologies for cleaner and more sustainable power generation. As data center power needs continue to grow, partnerships between tech giants and SMR developers are paving the way for a new era of nuclear energy that is cost-effective, reliable, and carbon-free. Through innovative collaborations and investments, the potential for nuclear power to play a critical role in meeting the global demand for clean energy is becoming increasingly apparent.
