The massive energy appetite of AI training clusters has outpaced the growth of traditional solar and wind farms. In 2026, the tech industry has made a surprising pivot: Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have begun purchasing dedicated capacity from nuclear startups to power their next-generation data centers.
Unlike traditional large-scale nuclear plants, SMRs are built in factories and shipped to the site. They provide a “baseload” of carbon-free energy that doesn’t fluctuate with the weather. With AI models now consuming roughly 2% of global electricity, these mini-reactors are the only way to scale the “intelligence economy” without breaking the power grid or the planet.