Several major data center hyperscalers have come together to support a call for a significant increase in global nuclear power capacity.
At the CERAWeek 2025 event in Houston, a global coalition of large-scale energy consumers signed a pledge to back the goal of tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050.
The founding signatories of the Large Energy Users Pledge, facilitated by the World Nuclear Association, include Google, Amazon, and Meta.
Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of the World Nuclear Association, expressed her gratitude, saying: “Thank you for joining our large energy users pledge and supporting the ambition to triple nuclear energy by 2050. This is not the end; it is just the beginning. We know that many other large energy users are considering joining the pledge in the future. That is our hope and our invitation – If you would like to be part of this group, please join us!”
The pledge underscores nuclear energy’s potential to go beyond traditional grid electricity, helping to meet growing energy demands across sectors such as technology and industrial process heat.
Currently, nuclear energy provides about 9% of the world’s electricity from around 440 power reactors, totaling 398,553MW of capacity. These reactors generated approximately 2,602TWh of electricity in 2023. In addition, 70,000MW of nuclear capacity is under construction across 65 plants globally, with more than 400,000MW in the planning or proposal stages across over 400 plants.
As demand for reliable baseload power grows, micro and small modular reactors (SMRs) are becoming increasingly popular in the data center market. Many operators have also secured deals to source energy from larger nuclear plants.
Google recently signed an agreement to purchase nuclear energy from multiple SMRs developed by Kairos Power. The company expects the first SMR to be deployed by 2030, with further deployments planned through 2035. The US-only deal covers up to 500MW across six to seven reactors.
Lucia Tian, head of clean energy & decarbonization technologies at Google, stated: “We are proud to sign a pledge in support of tripling nuclear capacity by 2050, as nuclear power will be pivotal in building a reliable, secure, and sustainable energy future. Google will continue to work alongside our partners to accelerate the commercialization of advanced nuclear technologies that can provide the around-the-clock clean energy necessary to meet growing electricity demand around the world.”
Amazon has invested in SMR company X-energy and signed agreements to procure nuclear energy via SMRs. The company also acquired a data center powered by a nuclear plant in Pennsylvania.
Other companies, including Edged, Oracle, Sabey, Prometheus Hyperscale, Equinix, Switch, and others, have also signed deals to procure SMRs from various providers. Microsoft, for its part, has signed a deal to keep the Three Mile Island nuclear plant operational.
The World Nuclear Association is an international organization dedicated to representing the global nuclear industry and promoting a broader understanding of nuclear energy.
