Tech giants make surprising pivot amid AI industry boom: 'Canary in the coal mine'

When news broke last year about Microsoft and Constellation's intent to reopen a portion of Three Mile Island, it was a signal that big tech companies were willing to look at nuclear for energy to meet growing data center power demand. 

It turns out that it could be among the first trickles from a wellspring of investment in the nuclear space, as artificial intelligence is expected to drive a 165% computing energy use increase by the end of the decade, according to Goldman Sachs. 

World Nuclear Association director general Sama Bilbao y León told CNBC that AI and data centers are the "canary in the coal mine." 

"We are finally recognizing that the demand of electricity and energy in general is only going to increase. But the reality is that all sectors of the economy are going to need more electricity," the official said in the report. 

Along with AI, he added the metallurgical, maritime, shipping, and chemical industries as other industries that would benefit from nuclear-sourced electricity. 

For its part, nuclear investments are expected to hit $2.2 trillion by 2050, according to Morgan Stanley estimates cited by CNBC. 

Nuclear energy is attractive because it's a reliable source of air-pollution-free electricity. Small modular reactors in development could provide mobile units for remote places, and even on ships. Critics cite cost, long development time, and the elephants in the room — nuclear waste and meltdown risks — as detriments. 

Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island was the site of a 1979 nuclear disaster, for example, though parts of the plant have been functional since then. Proponents note that nuclear power's spent fuel isn't as calamitous as popular culture characterizes it. It comes in the form of small ceramic pellets, not drums of green ooze, per the U.S. government. 

Nearly 20% of United States utility-scale electricity is already generated by nuclear power plants without carbon dioxide pollution, according to the Energy Information Administration. Reducing overheating from dirty fuels is key to limiting the environmental impact from rising temperatures. NASA has linked Earth's warming to increased risks for severe heat that is both life-threatening and could make some places uninhabitable. The impact is even being noticed in animal behavior as various creatures try to cope with high heat. 

Other experts think renewables are the better choice for fast, cheap, and clean grid-supporting energy, according to Reuters. The news agency reported that solar and wind are the quickest power sources to deploy. 

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Solar is also one of the best ways homeowners can limit or eliminate utility bills. 

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On the nuclear front, CNBC said that developers are working through funding strategies for developing new projects that can cost tens of billions of dollars. In the U.S., speeding up nuclear reactor licensing is at the top of the list of nine key takeaways from energy-related executive orders signed by President Donald Trump, per the Department of Energy.

It's a commitment that makes "all the insolvable problems … solvable, which is very exciting for nuclear," investor Arfa Karani told CNBC.

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