Microsoft’s contract for the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant

With artificial intelligence holding back its clean energy goals, Microsoft is turning to nuclear power in a first-of-its-kind exclusive deal with a nuclear power plant. The massive amount of energy needed to power artificial intelligence has helped fuel a surge in interest in nuclear power, a turning point for an industry that had been dying over the past decade. But as Big Tech inches closer to nuclear power plants, some wonder what will be left for the rest of us.

The symbolism of the agreement

Three Mile Island, the dormant Pennsylvania nuclear power plant at the center of the Microsoft deal, became “a symbol of the risks posed by nuclear power after one of the plant’s two reactors partially melted in 1979,” the company said. The New York TimesThe other reactor operated safely for years before finally shutting down for economic reasons five years ago. With the Microsoft deal, a “revival is within reach.” Because of artificial intelligence, the tech giant needs massive amounts of electricity for its growing number of data centers, and the company has agreed to use as much of the plant’s energy as possible over the next 20 years. The plant’s owner, Constellation Energy, is promising to spend $1.6 billion to refurbish the reactor, hoping to restart it by 2028 with regulatory approval. The deal marks the first time “Microsoft has secured a dedicated, all-nuclear facility for its use,” the Times said.