The return of the nuclear age: Amazon reveals that it is also investing in nuclear power

Just days after Google announced it would invest in nuclear power to power its AI data centers, Amazon has confirmed it’s also on board with nuclear.

The Seattle-based company has announced a number of deals and investments focused on small modular reactors (SMRs) in an effort to clean up its power supply and meet growing demand for power as a result of the boom in the AI

While Amazon remains committed to other clean energy sources, it said nuclear is an important part of the mix because of its proven reliability.

Amazon hedges its bets on nuclear

AWS CEO Matt Garman commented: “Nuclear is a secure source of carbon-free energy that can help power our operations and meet the growing demands of our customers, while helping us move towards to our Climate Pledge commitment to be net zero carbon in all our operations by 2040”.

Garman added: “Our agreements will encourage the construction of new nuclear technologies that will generate power for decades to come.”

The new deals include a partnership with Energy Northwest to develop reactors that will generate 320 megawatts in the first phase, with the potential to expand to 960 megawatts, the equivalent of about 770,000 homes.

Another deal with Dominion Energy to explore an SMR project in Virginia could provide at least 300 megawatts of power to the region, which is emerging as a technology hub and could see demand grow 85% over the next 15 years.

Amazon will also invest in X-energy, a company that develops SMR technology, to support more than five gigawatts of nuclear projects.

In addition to the sustainability credentials, Amazon is also keen to point out that its projects will support about 1,000 temporary construction roles and 100 permanent operational roles for the Energy Northwest project alone.

This is in addition to the company’s previous announcement to co-locate a data center facility next to a Talen Energy nuclear plant for direct-supplied carbon-free energy.

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