The International Energy Agency expects worldwide data center power usage to surge past 945 terawatt-hours by 2030, driving tech giants to directly finance nuclear generation. Major players like Amazon and Google are contracting hundreds of megawatts from existing plants, while Constellation invests over $4.3 billion to upgrade 11 regional reactors. These arrangements create an operational mismatch, tying fast-moving digital infrastructure to 20-year power agreements across regional grids like PJM that support roughly 67 million residents.
Key points
Global data center electricity consumption is projected to more than double to approximat…: Global data center electricity consumption is projected to more than double to approximately 945 terawatt-hours by 2030.
Restarting legacy reactors and expanding existing sites has become tech firms' primary st…: Restarting legacy reactors and expanding existing sites has become tech firms' primary strategy because building new facilities takes a decade or longer.
Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence hardware are misaligned with the rigid 20-y…: Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence hardware are misaligned with the rigid 20-year power purchase agreements signed with utilities.
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As Big Tech turns to nuclear power to fuel its AI ambitions, the cost of keeping data centers running raises a question that extends far beyond Silicon Valley.
Within a week, two of the three largest cloud computing companies in the world signed 20-year contracts for nuclear electricity. Amazon has taken 690 megawatts from Constellation’s Calvert Cliffs plant in Maryland, including 190 megawatts of additional generating capacity expected between 2030 and 2032. Google has signed an agreement that will bring 890 megawatts of additional nuclear capacity into the United States. Constellation is investing more than $4.3bn to upgrade 11 reactors across Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Neither agreement, however, involves building a new nuclear reactor. Rather, they are paying to generate more output from reactors that already exist – some of which are even older than the companies themselves.
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