The pledge was made amid concerns that Russia and China may threaten America’s edge in nuclear innovation.
Major U.S. tech companies have pledged to support an initiative to boost nuclear power generation globally, the World Nuclear Association said on Wednesday.
The groups of “large energy users” have backed the goal to at least triple global nuclear capacity by 2050, the association, which facilitated the pledge, said in a March 12 statement.
“This is the first time major businesses beyond the nuclear sector have come together to publicly back an extensive and concerted expansion of nuclear power to meet increasing global energy demand.”
A total of 14 companies signed the pledge, including Meta, Google, and Amazon. The three big tech companies have previously taken steps to adopt nuclear energy to meet their growing power needs, especially for data centers
In October 2024, Amazon announced it had signed contracts with Washington, Virginia, and Pennsylvania to construct small modular reactors (SMRs). Unlike traditional large reactors, SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors with a power generation capacity of up to 300 megawatts.
That same month, Google said it intended to start buying nuclear power from multiple SMRs to be developed by Kairos Power. At the time, Google’s Senior Director of Energy and Climate Michael Terrell said the deal would potentially result in 500 megawatts of nuclear power.
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In December 2024, Meta announced plans to identify nuclear energy developers to “help us meet our AI innovation and sustainability objectives.” The company said it was targeting up to four gigawatts of new nuclear power production capacity in the United States.
In addition to the 14 companies, the pledge has the backing of 31 nations, 14 major financial institutions, and 140 nuclear industry businesses.
“As global economies expand, the need for a reliable, clean, and resilient energy supply is paramount. Nuclear energy, with its ability to provide continuous power, can help meet this rising demand,” Meta’s head of global energy, Urvi Parekh, said.
Brandon Oyer, the head of energy and water for the Americas at Amazon Web Services, said that acceleration of nuclear energy development is “critical to strengthening our nation’s security” as well as meeting the energy demands of the future.
The pledge was made amid concerns that America is losing its edge in nuclear innovation to rival nations.
“Russian and Chinese reactor designs have accounted for 87 percent of new installed nuclear reactors worldwide [since 2017],” Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) said during a meeting of electric grid operators, state regulators, and other experts on Feb. 25.
“This is something we developed and that they now dominate. This is allowing them to improve technologies and invest in their defense on an industrial basis. This gives Russia and [China] dominance over the countries they supply; their grip will last generations.”
Under the Trump administration, there has been increased interest in tapping into nuclear power.
During a March 10 speech, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said the administration is “working to launch the long-awaited American nuclear renaissance, fission and fusion. We want more reliable, affordable, secure energy.”
Last month, Wright signed an order directing the Department of Energy to “unleash” commercial nuclear power in the United States.
“The long-awaited American nuclear renaissance must launch during President Trump’s administration. As global energy demand continues to grow, America must lead the commercialization of affordable and abundant nuclear energy,” Wright stated in the order. “As such, the Department [of Energy] will work diligently and creatively to enable the rapid deployment and export of next-generation nuclear technology.”
