The Industries of Tomorrow Will Require Abundant, Reliable Energy, Nuclear Power is the Answer
Science Blog – Prof Noel Kitchener
As the world accelerates into the age of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing, one thing becomes crystal clear: tomorrow’s industries will demand vastly more energy than we use today. Intermittent energy sources like solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage cannot provide the reliable, continuous power needed to fuel this revolution. Nuclear energy, on the other hand, stands as the only proven solution that can meet this rising demand while maintaining a clean energy profile. Around the globe, the largest technology companies including Google, Amazon, Nvidia, Oracle, OpenAI, and Meta are investing heavily in nuclear power to safeguard their futures. If Australia fails to embrace this technology, we risk being left behind in the global technological race.
Last week provided a prime example of how serious the tech sector is about nuclear energy. Within the span of just a few days, both Google and Amazon made major announcements about their plans to harness nuclear power for their future operations.
Google announced a partnership with Kairos Power to develop up to 500 megawatts of 24/7 clean nuclear energy to power its artificial intelligence (AI) and data centre operations. This small modular reactor (SMR) is scheduled for completion by 2030, with more reactors to follow shortly after. This investment demonstrates Google’s understanding that nuclear is not just part of the future, but essential to sustaining the vast, uninterrupted energy demands of AI-driven technologies.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is taking similar steps, announcing over $500 million USD in nuclear energy projects to power its extensive global data centres. This includes:
- An agreement with Dominion Energy to explore developing an SMR.
- Support for four SMRs with Energy Northwest.
- Leading a $500 million funding round for X-Energy, a nuclear innovation company.
These commitments are just the beginning. As AI technologies scale, so too will the demand for reliable, non-stop power, power that only nuclear can provide.
In the past few months alone, numerous tech giants have made significant strides toward integrating nuclear power into their future energy strategies:
- Microsoft is partnering with Constellation Energy to reopen Three Mile Island, a move that shows how far the sector is willing to go to secure reliable energy for its data centres.
- Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, has boldly stated that nuclear energy will be a “vital, integral” part of AI’s power needs.
- Amazon recently acquired a data centre campus adjacent to a nuclear plant, signalling its intent to place nuclear at the heart of its energy strategy.
- Oracle is designing a data centre powered by three small modular reactors, showcasing its long-term commitment to nuclear energy.
- Microsoft and OpenAI are reportedly planning a $100 billion supercomputer, which will be powered by nuclear energy.
While the rest of the world moves forward, Australia lags behind due to outdated political opposition to nuclear energy. This aversion is not only ideological but also impractical. Our growing industries and technology sector need reliable, round-the-clock power. Without it, Australia risks falling behind the world’s leading nations in AI, technology development, and advanced industries. As other countries power their progress with nuclear energy, we are being left in the dust, clinging to energy solutions that simply cannot provide the scale and reliability required.
Australian politicians must face the reality: clinging to outdated fears about nuclear energy will only harm our nation’s future. If we are to participate in the global technological revolution, the nuclear ban must be lifted. The stakes are too high to let ideology stand in the way of progress.
It’s time for Australia to embrace the energy of the future nuclear. Our economy, our technological progress, and our place in the world depend on it.
