Just days after Google announced that it would be investing in nuclear energy to fuel its AI data centers, Amazon has confirmed that it, too, is on board with nuclear.
The Seattle company has announced a handful of agreements and investments focusing on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in an effort to clean up its energy supply and address the growing demand for power as a result of the AI boom.
Although Amazon still remains committed to other clean energy sources, it stated that nuclear forms an important part of a mix thanks to its proven reliability.
Amazon hedges its bets on nuclear
AWS CEO Matt Garman commented: “Nuclear is a safe source of carbon-free energy that can help power our operations and meet the growing demands of our customers, while helping us progress toward our Climate Pledge commitment to be net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040.”
Garman added: “Our agreements will encourage the construction of new nuclear technologies that will generate energy for decades to come.”
The new agreements include a partnership with Energy Northwest to develop reactors that are set to generate 320 megawatts in the first phase, with the potential to expand to 960 megawatts – the equivalent of around 770,000 homes.
Another agreement with Dominion Energy to explore an SMR project in Virginia could provide at least 300 megawatts of power in the region, which is establishing itself as a tech hub and could see demand rise by a staggering 85% in the next 15 years.
Amazon will also invest in X-energy, a company that develops SMR technology, to support over five gigawatts of nuclear projects.
Besides the sustainability credentials, Amazon is also keen to point out that its projects will support around 1,000 temporary construction roles and 100 permanent operational roles for the Energy Northwest Project alone.
This is on top of the company’s previously announcement to co-locate a data center facility next to a Talen Energy nuclear plant for directly provided carbon-free energy.
