Tech Giants Pledge to Triple Global Nuclear Capacity by 2050

“We are truly at the beginning of a new industry.” US Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright believes that nuclear power is the path forward to energy abundance. As the scope of technological growth shifts to match our perspective of the future, the demand for energy will rise.

This week Amazon, Google, and Meta join many other companies in a pledge to support the goal of tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050. That’s a pledge of nearly 300 GW in 25 years! This is also backed by the support of major global banks and financial institutions – a great sign to alleviate some of the fears surrounding project funding.

As data centers and improved industrial processes continue to demand more power, energy solutions are required to meet production targets. Many other forms of energy have been considered, but many of the leading companies have decided that nuclear power generation is the best way to give energy abundance to industries hungry for more power.

Despite the difficulties in meeting these demands, a new resurgence in the nuclear industry may help. This would allow companies to continue innovation in the AI sector in a safe and efficient manner. 

Now, companies are making desperate decisions to keep running larger and larger amounts of coolant over their data racks. For example, Microsoft proposed that their new data center in Wisconsin include 150 emergency electric generators to run as backup power. This goes to show how much power these new data centers are requiring to match the computing power of AI.

Contrary to popular belief, nuclear power would pose a much safer solution to this. Given battery technology is still continuing to improve, there is a chance that they may become safer with time, but as of now battery generators pose a fire risk due to their thermal runaway tendencies.

Companies see the writing on the wall when it comes to energy consumption. Their pledge states that “despite ongoing energy efficiency and optimization efforts, energy demand in many industries is expected to increase significantly in the coming years in order to support growing economies”. Those who signed on to this pledge also agree that nuclear power production must at least triple to achieve global goals for clean energy security.

The nuclear power industry has undergone a huge shift towards advancements in safety, efficiency, and project funding. Large companies turning to the power source allows for nuclear power startups like Oklo and X-energy to make ground-breaking improvements to reactor designs and energy utilization. These are the types of companies who will make a large impact and spur growth of supporting roles in the nuclear industry.

The Sign Off

The signatories of the Large Energy Users Pledge ended with a “call on other large energy user companies to join this pledge.” With the support of other large companies to join on this mission for abundant clean energy with nuclear, the ambitious goal seems more realistic.