Big Tech Wants Nuclear Power But Doesn’t See Role as Investor
- Utilities seen as better suited to assess risk, develop plants
- Idea that tech should write checks for nukes ‘is misguided’
Building reactors, especially plants using new technologies, comes with high costs and high risk.
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Big technology companies including Microsoft Corp. and Google are eager to see more nuclear energy feeding their power-hungry data centers, but are far less willing to provide the capital needed to pay for a growing interest in reactors.
While artificial intelligence and data centers are expected to boost power consumption in the US for the first time in a generation, the companies that need the energy told attendees at the American Nuclear Society’s annual conference that they’re poorly positioned to help develop new reactors.