Amazon Backs Nuclear Startups to Power Data Centers with Small Modular Reactors
Amazon joins Microsoft and Google in pursuing nuclear energy by investing $500 million in X-energy and planning small modular reactors in Virginia and the Pacific Northwest. The company expects the new reactors to start generating electricity in the early 2030s.
Amazon becomes the latest Big Tech company to embrace nuclear power by announcing three major deals to support small modular reactors (SMRs). The tech giant leads a $500 million investment round into X-energy, a startup that specializes in high-temperature, gas-cooled reactors. This move mirrors recent nuclear commitments from Microsoft and Google as tech companies seek reliable, carbon-free energy for their massive data centers.
The company outlines plans to develop around 300 megawatts of nuclear capacity in both the Pacific Northwest and Virginia, which are key data center hubs. In the Pacific Northwest, Amazon partners with the Energy Northwest consortium to build four SMRs that produce 320 megawatts combined, with potential expansion up to 960 megawatts. In Virginia, Amazon and Dominion Energy agree to explore developing 300 megawatts of SMR capacity near the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station.
X-energy provides the underlying technology for these projects with its Xe-100 reactor design that generates 80 megawatts of electricity. The startup utilizes a unique TRISO fuel system where uranium is sealed inside poppy seed-sized particles packed into larger graphite pebbles, and heated by flowing helium to create steam. Amazon expects these advanced reactors to begin generating electricity in the early 2030s to help meet its growing power demands.