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On Wednesday, prominent corporations such as Amazon and Google committed to a pledge aimed at at least tripling the global nuclear energy capacity by the year 2050, during the CERAWeek conference held in Houston.
Additionally, shale producer Occidental and chemical leader Dow joined in endorsing this initiative.
In an interview with Reuters at the CERAWeek conference on Tuesday, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright remarked, “We are truly at the beginning of a new industry.”
The World Nuclear Association (WNA), the organization that facilitated the pledge, indicated in a press release that further backing is anticipated in the upcoming months from sectors including maritime, aviation, and oil and gas. This pledge builds upon a commitment made by over 30 countries in 2023, which also aimed to triple nuclear capacity by 2050.
According to the WNA, nuclear energy, recognized as a clean power source, currently accounts for 9% of the world’s electricity, generated by 439 power reactors.
Moreover, it has emerged as an attractive solution for energy-intensive data centers, with major technology companies already entering into several billion-dollar agreements with utility providers.
In January of the previous year, uranium oxide prices, essential for nuclear technology, reached their highest levels in over 16 years due to supply uncertainties and increased demand, a trend that gained traction in 2021 when COVID-19 lockdowns disrupted supply chains.
Despite the rising demand, uranium supply remains limited, as global production is predominantly concentrated in Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia, which together represented approximately two-thirds of the world’s output in 2022, according to the WNA.
As of early 2025, there were only about 411 operational nuclear power reactors worldwide, with a total capacity of 371 gigawatts.
Amazon, which reports an investment exceeding $1 billion in nuclear energy projects and technologies, is also investigating small modular reactor initiatives.
Similarly, Meta and Google are exploring this emerging technology.
