Amazon Opens Nuclear Power Purchase Program to Ensure Stable Power Supply

Amazon recently announced its entry into nuclear energy, joining other tech giants such as Microsoft and Google, with the goal of providing a stable and green source of power for its data centers.

With the rapid development of generative AI technology, data centers are experiencing explosive growth in power demand, and Amazon has responded to this high demand for power by launching three major nuclear power investment plans aimed at ensuring a stable power supply in the future.

Amazon's nuclear power program specifically includes three parts:

• Partnership with Dominion Energy: Amazon plans to build small nuclear power plants (SMRs) near the existing North Anna nuclear plant in Virginia to supply the power needed for data centers.
• Evaluation of four SMRs in Washington State: Amazon has commissioned Energy Northwest to evaluate the feasibility of building four small nuclear power plants (SMRs) in Washington State.
• Investment in nuclear technology company X-energy: Amazon invested $500 million to fund X-energy to promote the commercial operation of small nuclear power plant technology (SMR) to cope with future growth in electricity demand.

These nuclear power plans not only meet Amazon's own data center needs, but are also in line with the company's commitment to sustainability and reducing carbon emissions. Data centers have huge power needs, especially the power-hungry nature of generative AI computing, which requires a constant and stable supply of electricity.

Other tech giants' nuclear energy layouts emphasize stable power supply

Amazon is not the only tech giant embracing nuclear power. In September of this year, Microsoft announced that the United States Constellation Energy (Constellation Energy) signed a 20-year power purchase agreement, this agreement will start the three-mile island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. The plant has not been in full operation since an accident in 1979, but in Microsoft's agreement, all the power generated will be supplied to Microsoft's data centers in full, guaranteeing its power needs for AI computing.

Google has a partnership agreement with nuclear energy startup Kairos Power, with plans to deploy its first small nuclear power plant (SMR) by 2030. Google's plans are even more ambitious, aiming to provide 500 megawatts (MW) of new power to the U.S. grid through nuclear energy technology by 2035, which would be the equivalent of the total electricity consumption of a medium-sized city.

America's “Nuclear Renaissance” Wave, Nuclear Power Goes Mainstream Again

As the technology industry turns to green power, nuclear power is once again attracting a great deal of attention. According to reports, there has been a “nuclear renaissance” in the United States in recent years for several reasons:

• Nuclear power meets net-zero emissions goals: Nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gas emissions, which is in line with the international community's demand for carbon reduction. As countries accelerate progress towards their 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction targets, nuclear power is once again seen as a stable green energy option.
• Weather-independent stability: Compared to solar and wind power, nuclear power plants are not constrained by weather or natural conditions and can provide stable power around the clock, which is critical for businesses running energy-intensive facilities such as AI data centers and server clusters.
• Developing small-scale nuclear plant technology (SMR): As technology advances, small modular reactors (SMRs) have become an important direction in the development of nuclear energy. Smaller, cheaper to build, and more technologically advanced to meet decentralized power needs, these plants are emerging as an alternative to large nuclear plants.

These tech giants' investment in nuclear energy is not only to solve their own power needs, but also symbolizes the new trend of global green energy transition.The rapid development of AI technology makes it imperative for companies to find stable and environmentally friendly sources of energy in the face of growing power demand.