{"690077":{"#nid":"690077","#data":{"type":"news","title":"AI\u2019s Energy Demands Spark Nuclear Revival","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe demand for electricity to power AI data centers is skyrocketing, placing immense pressure on traditional energy sources.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf we continue pursuing clean energy for AI and data centers, we will need to triple the energy supply for data centers by 2030,\u201d says \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/erickson\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWoodruff Professor Anna Erickson, a nuclear engineering expert from Georgia Tech\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. Nuclear power, with its high energy density and continuous operation, is well-suited to provide the steady base load of electricity required.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Erickson, the recent headlines of the restarting of Pennsylvania\u2019s Three Mile Island Unit 1 reactor (TMI-1) could play a crucial role in meeting these demands sustainably.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis decision, supported by a 20-year agreement with Microsoft, aims to provide carbon-free energy to meet the escalating power demands of AI data centers. The company\u2019s goal to be carbon negative by 2030 aligns with the broader push for sustainable energy solutions.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/energyexplained\/nuclear\/us-nuclear-industry.php\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EUnited States Energy Information Administration\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, as of Aug. 1, 2023, the United States has 93 operating commercial nuclear reactors across 54 nuclear power plants in 28 states. The most recent reactor to begin commercial operation is Unit 4 at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia, which started on April 29, 2024.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe commercial start of Unit 4 completes the 11-year expansion project at Plant Vogtle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/10\/ais-energy-demands-spark-nuclear-revival\u0022\u003ERead more on the Georgia Tech Newspage\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Anna Erickson highlights the reopening of Three Mile Island Unit 1 as a crucial step in meeting the growing energy demands of AI data centers with carbon-free nuclear power, aligning with Microsoft\u0027s sustainability goals.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Professor Anna Erickson highlights the reopening of Three Mile Island Unit 1 as a crucial step in meeting the growing energy demands of AI data centers with carbon-free nuclear power, aligning with Microsoft\u0027s sustainability goals."}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-04-30 17:27:49","changed_gmt":"2026-04-30 17:30:36","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-01-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-01-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680136":{"id":"680136","type":"image","title":"AIs-energy-demands-spark-nuclear-revivalAdobeStock_229927661--1-.jpeg","body":null,"created":"1777570080","gmt_created":"2026-04-30 17:28:00","changed":"1777570080","gmt_changed":"2026-04-30 17:28:00","alt":"Three Mile Island Nuclear site","file":{"fid":"264376","name":"AIs-energy-demands-spark-nuclear-revivalAdobeStock_229927661--1-.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/30\/AIs-energy-demands-spark-nuclear-revivalAdobeStock_229927661--1-.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/30\/AIs-energy-demands-spark-nuclear-revivalAdobeStock_229927661--1-.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":315486,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/30\/AIs-energy-demands-spark-nuclear-revivalAdobeStock_229927661--1-.jpeg?itok=X4iNRPcc"}}},"media_ids":["680136"],"groups":[{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESiobhan Rodriguez - \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sar30@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Esar30@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["sar30@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}