The demand for electricity to power AI data centers is skyrocketing, placing immense pressure on traditional energy sources.
“If we continue pursuing clean energy for AI and data centers, we will need to triple the energy supply for data centers by 2030,” says Woodruff Professor Anna Erickson, a nuclear engineering expert from Georgia Tech. Nuclear power, with its high energy density and continuous operation, is well-suited to provide the steady base load of electricity required.
According to Erickson, the recent headlines of the restarting of Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island Unit 1 reactor (TMI-1) could play a crucial role in meeting these demands sustainably.
This 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’s goal to be carbon negative by 2030 aligns with the broader push for sustainable energy solutions.
According to the United States Energy Information Administration, 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.
The commercial start of Unit 4 completes the 11-year expansion project at Plant Vogtle.