Google, Microsoft want nuclear power but doesn’t see role as investor

Big technology companies including Microsoft Corp. and Google are eager to see more nuclear energy feeding their power-hungry data centers, but are far less willing to provide the capital needed to pay for a growing interest in reactors.

While artificial intelligence and data centers are expected to boost power consumption in the US for the first time in a generation, the companies that need the energy told attendees at the American Nuclear Society’s annual conference that they’re poorly positioned to help develop new reactors.