California Weighs Nuclear Power to Meet AI's Growing Energy Demands

Tech giants and lawmakers explore nuclear energy options as AI's energy consumption raises concerns about meeting carbon neutrality goals.

Artificial intelligence's energy-intensive operations, such as data centers, are straining California's power grid and complicating its carbon neutrality goals for 2045.
Tech companies like Google and Meta are exploring nuclear power, including small modular reactors, as a potential sustainable energy source for AI operations.
California's nearly 50-year moratorium on new nuclear power plants is under renewed scrutiny, with some legislators proposing exemptions for small modular reactors.
Critics highlight challenges such as high costs, radioactive waste disposal, and safety risks, including potential meltdowns or cyberattacks, in pursuing nuclear energy.
Proposals to lift the moratorium have stalled in the legislature, but bipartisan interest and federal support for nuclear technology may influence future debates.