Tech giants Amazon, Google and Meta joined a group of major companies pledging to support the goal to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050.
Led by global nuclear industry group World Nuclear Association, the “Large Energy Users Pledge” was also signed by Allseas, Bureau Veritas, Carbon3Energy, Clean Energy Buyers Alliance, Core Power, Dow, Fly Green Alliance, Lloyd’s Register, Occidental, OSGE, Siemens Energy. The pledge notes that “energy demand in many industries is expected to increase significantly in the coming years,” adding that tripling nuclear capacity will “help achieve global goals for enhanced energy resiliency and security, and continuous firm clean energy supply.”
The pledge comes as several major technology companies have pivoted over the past several months to nuclear energy as a solution to address the need for a rapid increase in electricity production to accommodate the growth in AI-driven data center capacity and power consumption, while protecting their goals to reduce the emissions impact of their operations.
In December, for example, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp owner Meta announced plans to launch a request for proposals (RFPs) for nuclear energy developers in the U.S., targeting the addition of between 1-to-4 GW of new nuclear generation capacity. Meta said that its RFPs will look to identify developers that can accelerate the availability of new nuclear generators and create scale to help reduce cost, “both to provide for Meta’s future energy needs and to advance broader industry decarbonization.”
In an update following the release of the Pledge, Urvi Parekh, Head of Energy at Meta said that it has “received over 50 qualified submissions from a range of participants in the ecosystem – including utilities, developers and nuclear technology OEMs” to its RFPs.
Parekh added:
“Our RFP approach has been rooted in understanding how we can partner with utilities and to accelerate and spur new nuclear energy projects. We believe that the best chance for success for nuclear to scale quickly will be to install multiple nuclear units and we hope that our engagement will create the certainty needed by the market to begin permitting, siting, designing and engineering these facilities.”
Brandon Oyer, Head of Americas Energy and Water for Amazon Web Services said that the company has invested over $1 billion over the past year in nuclear energy projects and technologies, forming “part of our broader Climate Pledge commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040.” Amazon pledged in 2019 to match all of the electricity consumed across its global operations, including data centers, corporate buildings, stores and fulfillment centers, with 100% renewable energy by 2030. While the company announced in July 2024 that it achieved its 100% clean energy goal 7 years ahead of schedule, it also stated at the time that the increasing demand for generative AI “will require different sources of energy than we originally projected,” and that it will explore new carbon-free energy sources in addition to its continued investments in renewables.
Oyer added:
“Accelerating nuclear energy development will be critical to strengthening our nation’s security, meeting future energy demands, and addressing climate change.”
Google has also set a goal to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE) by 2030, matching electricity demand with CFE supply every hour of every day, in every region where the company operates. In October 2024, the company signed its first advanced nuclear deal, an agreement with nuclear technology company Kairos Power aimed at deploying a fleet of small advanced nuclear power projects across the U.S. to provide up to 500 MW of carbon-free energy, located in relevant service territories to supply clean electricity to Google data centers.
Lucia Tian, Head of Clean Energy & Decarbonization Technologies, Google, said:
“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.”
The pledge also called on other large energy user companies to join, and World Nuclear Association said that it anticipates it to gain more support over the coming months, citing interest from companies in sectors ranging from maritime and aviation to chemical and oil & gas.
Sama Bilbao y Leon, Director General of World Nuclear Association, said:
“The global shift towards more nuclear highlights this is the only way we’ll deliver the abundant firm clean energy required to power growth and innovation in technology, a host of other industries and the entire economy.”
