Amazon, Google, Meta Pledge Support for Nuclear Expansion — Microsoft and Apple Do Not Sign

• Amazon, Google and Meta have supported a pledge to triple nuclear capacity by 2050.
• Microsoft and Apple noticeably did not sign the pledge.
• Nuclear energy is increasingly becoming an attractive solution for Big Tech.

Three leading tech companies, Amazon, Google and Meta, have joined in signing a call for governments to build more nuclear power plants.

The group statement, coordinated by the World Nuclear Association, was noticeably not signed by Microsoft and Apple, raising questions about their long-term energy strategies.

Amazon, Google and Meta Support Nuclear

The three tech leaders joined 14 major global financial institutions, 140 nuclear industry companies, and 31 countries to support a pledge to triple nuclear capacity by 2050, according to a World Nuclear Association news release .

This coincides with many of the renewable energy goals pledged by the individual tech companies.

Brandon Oyer, head of Americas Energy and Water for Amazon Web Services, said the company had invested over $1 billion in the nuclear industry over the past twelve months as it looks to achieve zero carbon by 2040.

Oyer said speeding up the development of new nuclear power stations would be “critical” to meet growing energy demands and combat climate change.

In December 2024, Meta said it believed nuclear energy could help provide “firm, baseload power to support the growth needs of the electric grids that power both our data centers as well as the communities around them.”

According to the news release, Meta’s head of energy, Urvi Parekh, said the company had signed the pledge because nuclear plants needed coordination between governments and developers.

Microsoft and Apple Do Not Sign

The absence of Microsoft and Apple from the pledge raises questions about their long-term energy strategies.

Both companies have committed to sustainability and carbon neutrality, with Microsoft aiming for carbon negativity by 2030 and Apple working toward a net-zero supply chain by 2030.

Their reluctance to endorse nuclear power may stem from a preference for other renewable solutions; however, Microsoft has already pursued nuclear deals independently.

In 2024, Microsoft signed a 20-year deal to purchase power from America’s Three Mile Island energy plant. The plant is due to reopen in 2028 after suffering the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history.

Apple, on the other hand, has never publicly committed to nuclear energy projects.

Big Tech’s Push for Nuclear

Nuclear energy is emerging as an attractive solution for Big Tech because it offers a low-carbon, high-output power source capable of meeting the needs of AI infrastructure on a large scale.

Unlike fossil fuels, which are responsible for a substantial share of global greenhouse gas emissions, nuclear power generates electricity without releasing carbon dioxide during the operation.

However, nuclear power is not the cheapest renewable option.

According to a report from Australia’s CSIRO, large-scale nuclear power is estimated to be between $141 and $233/MWH, while smaller modular reactors are estimated to be between $230 and $382/MWH.

Electricity from solar and wind is estimated to cost between just $73 and $128 per megawatt hour.