On May 23, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.”[1] In this Executive Order, the President set a target to increase nuclear energy capacity in the United States from 100 GW in 2024 to 400 GW by 2050.[2] To achieve this goal, the Trump administration aimed to increase the capacity of the current nuclear fleet and to invest in new technologies, including Generation III+ and Generation IV reactors, small modular reactors, microreactors, and stationary and mobile reactors.[3]

While Americans have had a historic aversion to nuclear energy in the United States since the Three Mile Island accident, nuclear energy could be the key to powering emerging technologies.[4] In 2024, data centers used roughly 183 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity or 4% of the United States total electricity consumption, a number that is expected to rise to 426 TWh by 2030.[5] Due to data centers’ 24/7 need for electricity, classic renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are not considered viable options.[6] The largest share of energy for data centers comes from fossil fuels [40% from natural gas and 15% from coal].[7] The use of fossil fiels put AI companies at risk of not reaching their climate goals[8] and causes tension within specific economic regions that will start requiring companies to report on their carbon emissions.[9] In an attempt to limit usage of fossil fuels, large tech companies are starting to turn to nuclear energy to power their data centers.[10]

Since 2024, there has been a massive increase in U.S. government[11] and private equity spending in the field of nuclear energy.[12] In his March 19, 2026 statement to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Department of Energy, Assistant Secretary Theodore Garrish emphasized that the easiest way to reach the 400 GW goals by 2050 was by reinvesting in the aging nuclear fleet. Two prime examples of this are seen in the Palisades and on Three Mile Island. The Palisades nuclear plant near South Haven, Michigan was shut down in 2022.[13] Thanks to a $400 million investment from the DOE, the plant is expected to be operating again in 2026 and its owners, Holtec, plan to expand the site by building two SMR-300 reactors. The Palisades cite will provide 1.4 million Michigan households and businesses with clean energy. The Three Mile Island site was given a $1 billion loan to restart operations there and is expected to open in 2027.[14] The plant has an 837 megawatt capacity and signed a 20-year purchase agreement with Microsoft to power its data centers in the region.[15] When it comes to new nuclear builds, Tennessee is currently leading the nation with plans for at least three small modular reactors, one potential fusion reactor, and a planned microreactor factory.[16] Besides Tennessee, there are notable investments in Alabama, where the U.S. and Japanese governments are investing $40 billion in the development of new reactors in Northern Alabama, and Virgina, where Amazon and Dominion energy signed an agreement to develop SMR in the region.[17] As the demand for clean, reliable energy continues to grow alongside AI, nuclear power is no longer just a relic of the past but the backbone of America’s technological future.

Image: https://www.cleanenergyeconomymn.org/blog/nuclear-energys-future-in-minnesota

[1] Exec. Order No. 14299, 90 Fed. Reg. 22581 (May 29, 2025).

[2] Id.

[3] Id.

[4] Eric Scheuch, An Atomic Catch 22: Climate Change and the Decline of America’s Nuclear Fleet, Columbia Climate School (May 5, 2020), https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2020/05/05/nuclear-catch-22-climate-change/

[5] Rebecca Leppert, What We Know About Energy Use at U.S. Data Centers amid the AI Boom, Pew Research Center (Oct. 24, 2025), https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/10/24/what-we-know-about-energy-use-at-us-data-centers-amid-the-ai-boom/.

[6] Id.

[7] Id.

[8]  Emily Kwong, By 2030, How Much Will Data Centers Contribute to Fossil Fuel Emissions? Scientists Mapped it, NPR (Nov. 4, 2025), https://www.npr.org/2025/11/14/nx-s1-5608188/data-center-ai-space-lizards.

[9] Cal. Health & Safety Code § 38532 (West 2025); Cal. Health & Safety Code § 38533 (West 2025); Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence, European Commission, https://commission.europa.eu/topics/business-and-industry/doing-business-eu/sustainability-due-diligence-responsible-business/corporate-sustainability-due-diligence_en; Corporate Sustainability Reporting, European Commission (Dec. 9, 2025), https://finance.ec.europa.eu/financial-markets/company-reporting-and-auditing/company-reporting/corporate-sustainability-reporting_en.

[10]Robert Rapier, et.al, Why Microsoft And Amazon Are Turning To Nuclear Power For AI, Forbes (Feb. 19, 2026) https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2026/02/19/why-microsoft-and-amazon-are-turning-to-nuclear-power-for-ai/; C Mandler, Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant Will Reopen to Power Microsoft Data Centers, NPR (Sept. 20, 2024), https://www.npr.org/2024/09/20/nx-s1-5120581/three-mile-island-nuclear-power-plant-microsoft-ai; Dominion Energy and Amazon to Explore Advancement of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Nuclear Development in Virginia, Dominion Energy (Oct. 16, 2024), https://investors.dominionenergy.com/news/press-release-details/2024/Dominion-Energy-and-Amazon-to-explore-advancement-of-Small-Modular-Reactor-SMR-nuclear-development-in-Virginia/default.aspx.

[11] Dominion Energy and Amazon to Explore Advancement of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Nuclear Development in Virginia, Dominion Energy (Oct. 16, 2024), https://investors.dominionenergy.com/news/press-release-details/2024/Dominion-Energy-and-Amazon-to-explore-advancement-of-Small-Modular-Reactor-SMR-nuclear-development-in-Virginia/default.aspx.; Advancing Nuclear Energy: A New Partnership, Westinghouse, https://westinghousenuclear.com/strategic-partnership/.

[12] Meerub Anjum & Neel Bharucha, Private Equity Flows to Advanced Nuclear Companies Hit Record High in 2024, S&P Global (Feb. 4, 2025), https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/articles/2025/2/private-equity-flows-to-advanced-nuclear-companies-hit-record-high-in-2024-87302728.

[13] Heather Vandyke & Sarah Leach, Palisades Plant Set for Historic Nuclear Restart with $400M Federal Investment Boost, Michigan Advance (Dec. 8, 2025), https://michiganadvance.com/2025/12/08/palisades-plant-set-for-historic-nuclear-restart-with-400m-federal-investment-boost/.

[14] Emine Sinmaz, Trump Officials Announce $1bn Loan to Restart Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant, The Guardian (Nov. 19, 2025), https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/19/three-mile-island-nuclear-loan-microsoft-datacenter.

[15] Constellation to Launch Crane Clean Energy Center, Restoring Jobs and Carbon-Free Power to The Grid, Constellation (Sept. 20, 2024), https://www.constellationenergy.com/news/2024/Constellation-to-Launch-Crane-Clean-Energy-Center-Restoring-Jobs-and-Carbon-Free-Power-to-The-Grid.html.

[16]The Top 10 States of Nuclear, Nuclear Newswire (Jan. 16, 2026), https://www.ans.org/news/article-7645/the-top-10-states-of-nuclear/.

[17] Kayode Crown, New ‘Groundbreaking’ Nuclear Reactors Coming to Alabama: What This Means for Utility Prices, AL.com (Mar. 24, 2026), https://www.al.com/news/2026/03/new-goundbreaking-nuclear-reactors-coming-to-alabama-what-this-means-for-utility-prices.html; Dominion Energy and Amazon to Explore Advancement of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Nuclear Development in Virginia, Dominion Energy (Oct. 16, 2024), https://investors.dominionenergy.com/news/press-release-details/2024/Dominion-Energy-and-Amazon-to-explore-advancement-of-Small-Modular-Reactor-SMR-nuclear-development-in-Virginia/default.aspx.