The data centers that train the large language models behind AI consume unimaginable amounts of energy, and the stakes are high for big tech companies to ensure they have enough power to run those plants. That’s why Microsoft is now throwing its weight behind nuclear power. The tech giant on Friday signed a major deal with nuclear plant operator Constellation Energy to buy power for its data centers from the energy company’s Three Mile Island Unit 1 nuclear plant. The plant is located right next to TMI-Unit 2, which infamously melted down in 1979. Unit 1 was shut down in 2019 as demand for nuclear energy waned amid competition from cheaper energy alternatives like natural gas, and solar and wind power. Constellation said it plans to spend $1.6 billion to revive the Unit 1 plant, pending regulatory approval, by 2028. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Microsoft has agreed to purchase all of the power from the reactor over the next 20 years, a Constellation spokesperson told TechCrunch. Once restored, the reactor promises a capacity of 835 megawatts. The new plant will also be renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center (CCEC) after Constellation’s former CEO, Chris Crane, who died in April. The plant is expected to create 3,400 direct and indirect jobs, add $16 billion to Pennsylvania’s GDP, and generate more than $3 billion in state and federal taxes, according to an economic report commissioned by the Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council.

Full report : Three Mile Island’s Nuclear Plant to Reopen, Help Power Microsoft’s AI Centers.