AI drives renewed push for expanded nuclear power capacity

The UN article reports that the IAEA convened policymakers, technology companies and nuclear industry leaders in Vienna to explore how nuclear power can enable AI expansion and how AI can drive innovation in nuclear energy.

• Main announcement/action: The IAEA-led discussions in Vienna brought together policymakers, technology companies and nuclear industry leaders to examine nuclear energy as a core solution for powering AI; cited figures include expected global electricity growth of >10,000 TWh by 2035, 71 new reactors under construction, and 441 reactors currently operating. The article highlights concrete corporate actions: Microsoft signed a 20-year power purchase agreement that enabled the restart of Unit One at Three Mile Island, and Google has signed an agreement to buy energy from multiple small modular reactors (a global first) with possible operation by 2030.
• Background and additional details: The piece lists evidence and timelines: data-center demand rose by more than three quarters between 2023 and 2024, and is expected to account for over 20% of electricity-demand growth in advanced economies by 2030; the US is specifically noted for predicted AI-driven power consumption surpassing combined aluminium, steel, cement and chemical sectors by the end of the decade. It also notes SMRs have shorter deployment footprints and upgraded safety systems versus large reactors (large plants often have ~10-year lead times), and that the IAEA is working with regulators and industry to accelerate SMR viability.