Meta partners with US nuclear companies to power AI data centers

by AFP Staff Writers
San Francisco, United States (AFP) Jan 9, 2026
Tech giant Meta announced Thursday major agreements with three US nuclear energy companies that it says will add up to 6.6 gigawatts of clean power by 2035.

The deals make Meta one of America's largest corporate buyers of nuclear energy as it seeks to fuel its artificial intelligence operations.

The Facebook parent company signed agreements with Vistra, TerraPower and Oklo to extend existing nuclear plant operations and develop advanced reactor technology, following a similar agreement with Constellation Energy last year.

"State-of-the-art data centers and AI infrastructure are essential to securing America's position as a global leader in AI," said Joel Kaplan, Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer. "Nuclear energy will help power our AI future."

The agreements will provide financial support to extend operations at three existing nuclear plants while backing development of more experimental nuclear technologies.

The deals with Oklo, backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and TerraPower, backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, involve experimental Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) that aim to provide clean and easier-to-develop nuclear energy.

SMR designs promise enhanced safety features and more efficient operations than traditional plants, but have yet to be deployed at scale.

Meta said the projects would support its Prometheus supercluster data center in New Albany, Ohio.

Crucially, Meta said it pays the "full costs" for energy used by its data centers so consumers don't bear the expenses, addressing concerns about tech companies' growing electricity demands and whether investment costs get passed on to residential users.

The nuclear push reflects the massive energy requirements of AI development, with tech giants racing to secure reliable sources for their expanding data center operations -- a trend that has seen big tech companies scale back their climate commitments.

Nuclear energy provides consistent baseload power unlike intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar, making it attractive for facilities that require 24/7 electricity.

The announcements come as the nuclear industry seeks revival after decades of stagnation caused by nuclear accidents and high costs.

Amazon is also championing a nuclear revival through SMRs, and Google plans to restart a reactor in Iowa in 2029.

Microsoft has signed a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy to take essentially all the output of the restarted Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania.

The Trump administration announced in October an $80 billion investment to begin construction on ten conventional reactors by 2030 in partnership with Westinghouse Electric Company.

The US government is trying to spark a nuclear investment boom to catch up with China that had more than 30 conventional reactors under construction in 2025, according the World Nuclear Association.

The United States had none.