Why nuclear could be the answer to energy-guzzling AI data centres.

It sounds like the plot of a sci-fi film – a massive corporation looks to restart an ageing nuclear reactor in order to feed the massive power requirements of its new AI platform. But that’s exactly what Microsoft is trying to do on Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island, the very site of an infamous meltdown in 1979 that some credit with pushing back America’s nuclear power ambitions by decades.

What many readers might not know is that while the plant’s second unit suffered a catastrophic meltdown – abruptly bringing its working life to an end – the first unit continued generating energy until 2019. Now Microsoft is negotiating with owner Constellation Energy to recommission the unit once more, with plans to restart the reactor in 2028. It has already signed a 20-year agreement to purchase as much electricity as possible from the plant to power its AI services.

But the deal is not unique in the sector – both Amazon and Meta...