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Why Big Tech is buying nuclear power plants

by Joe Miller

Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta have signed close to 10 gigawatts of nuclear deals. A nuclear engineer explains why they want nuclear, which deals will actually deliver power soon, and which are long shots.

Watch: the narrated video (2 minutes)

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Three ways to get nuclear power for AIRestart a closed plantFastest: about 2 to 4 yearsPlant already built and licensedonceOnly a handful left to restartExample: Three Mile Island Unit 1Buy from running plantsPower on day oneUprates add 5 to 20% moreCritics: it shifts existing poweraway from everyone elseExample: Meta and VistraBuild new reactorsBig reactors: about 10 years andbillions (Vogtle)Small modular reactors: promising,unproven at scaleEarliest new units around 2030Examples: Kairos, X-energy, Oklo,TerraPower
Restarts are fastest; new reactors take the longest.

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