White House ramps up nuclear power push as AI

White House ramps up nuclear power push as AI-driven energy demand surges

by MATT GALKA | The National News Desk

WASHINGTON (TNND) — As energy demand surges nationwide — driven in part by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence — the White House is stepping up its push for nuclear power, including both large reactors and smaller, modular designs. Demand and power consumption are expected to keep rising as tech companies build more infrastructure to support the artificial intelligence boom.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright promoted the Trump administration’s efforts to advance nuclear power technologies this week as officials and industry race to meet that growing demand. (TNND)

“The beating heart of the nuclear industry will always be here in Idaho, but these technologies will thrive around our country and change the future of our country,” Wright said Thursday.

The administration announced $17.5 billion in loans would be available for companies to build 10 new large nuclear reactors around the country.

“We’re going to build those, too, as fastly and as proudly as we can,” Wright said.

At the same time, the federal government has been pushing companies to develop small modular nuclear reactors. That includes Oklo in Texas, which is trying to meet a Trump administration goal of getting its nuclear reactor online by July 4, a target laid out in executive orders signed last year.

Oklo CEO Jacob DeWitte said the U.S. needs to translate innovation into construction.

“We still have an edge in innovation and designs and underlying technologies, but that doesn’t matter if we’re not building things,” DeWitte said.

Oklo said it built its reactor in 229 days, one of the fastest timelines ever. Wright said two new reactors — one in Idaho and one in Utah — reached criticality this month, and that a third is on the way.

“Now we have the new nuclear age beginning right now, the golden era of nuclear energy, with soon to be our third next generation nuclear reactor to turn on to go critical and maintain a sustaining chain reaction,” Wright told CNBC.

The push also includes a national security component. The Army hopes portable nuclear reactors could power bases if the electrical grid were to go offline, reducing reliance on diesel fuel reserves during disruptions or cyberattacks.