Meta has emerged as one of the most significant corporate purchasers of nuclear energy in American history, announcing Thursday a series of groundbreaking agreements that will secure up to 6.6 gigawatts of power by 2035. The deals—with Vistra Energy, TerraPower, and Oklo—represent the tech industry's most aggressive pivot yet toward nuclear power as the fuel source for the artificial intelligence revolution.

The announcement sent shockwaves through energy markets. Vistra shares surged 11% in premarket trading, while Oklo jumped more than 15%. The agreements underscore a simple but profound reality: the AI arms race is also an energy race, and nuclear power is increasingly seen as the only viable path to meeting the industry's gargantuan electricity needs.

The Prometheus Supercluster

At the heart of Meta's nuclear ambitions is Prometheus, the company's 1-gigawatt AI supercluster currently under construction in New Albany, Ohio. When completed, Prometheus will be one of the largest and most powerful AI training facilities on Earth, capable of running the enormous computational workloads required to develop next-generation AI models.

The facility will span multiple data center buildings in Ohio's growing tech corridor, strategically located in the PJM grid region—the nation's largest electricity market, serving 65 million customers across 13 states.

"AI is going to require a tremendous amount of energy, and we think nuclear power is one of the best ways to deliver it reliably and sustainably."

— Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO

Breaking Down the Deals

Vistra Energy: The Anchor Agreement

The largest component is a 20-year power purchase agreement with Vistra Energy, America's largest competitive power generator. Under the deal, Meta will purchase more than 2.1 gigawatts of electricity from three existing nuclear plants:

  • Perry Nuclear Generating Station (Ohio) — 1,256 MW capacity
  • Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station (Ohio) — 894 MW capacity
  • Beaver Valley Power Station (Pennsylvania) — 1,845 MW capacity

Beyond existing capacity, Meta's investment will fund "uprates"—efficiency improvements that will add 433 megawatts of new generation capacity across the three facilities. Initial power delivery is expected to begin in late 2026, with uprate capacity coming online in the early 2030s.

TerraPower: The Next Generation

Meta also signed an agreement with TerraPower, the advanced nuclear company founded by Bill Gates. TerraPower is developing a next-generation sodium-cooled reactor that promises to be safer, more efficient, and more flexible than traditional nuclear plants. While specific capacity figures weren't disclosed, the partnership signals Meta's long-term bet on advanced nuclear technology.

Oklo: The Small Modular Future

Rounding out the portfolio is a deal with Oklo, a company developing small modular reactors (SMRs) that can be deployed more quickly and at lower cost than traditional nuclear plants. Oklo's Aurora powerhouse design produces 15-50 MW per unit and can be sited closer to data centers, reducing transmission losses.

The Energy Economics of AI

The Meta deals illuminate the staggering energy requirements of artificial intelligence. Training a single large language model can consume as much electricity as a small town uses in a year. Running these models at scale—serving billions of queries daily—requires sustained power measured in gigawatts, not megawatts.

According to the International Energy Agency, global data center electricity consumption is expected to double by 2030, reaching over 1,000 terawatt-hours annually. AI workloads are the primary driver of this growth, with energy-intensive training and inference operations demanding ever more power.

Nuclear energy offers several advantages for these applications:

  • Baseload reliability: Nuclear plants run 24/7 with capacity factors exceeding 90%, providing the consistent power AI workloads require.
  • Carbon-free generation: Nuclear produces zero direct carbon emissions, helping tech companies meet aggressive climate commitments.
  • Energy density: A single nuclear plant can produce as much power as thousands of wind turbines or millions of solar panels, conserving land.
  • Grid stability: Unlike variable renewable sources, nuclear provides the grid stability needed for precision computing.

A Broader Industry Trend

Meta is not alone in its nuclear pivot. Microsoft made headlines in 2025 when it announced a deal to restart the shuttered Three Mile Island Unit 1 reactor to power its data centers. Amazon has invested in small modular reactor technology, while Google has signed agreements for nuclear power in several markets.

The collective push reflects a hard reality: renewable energy alone cannot meet AI's power demands at the scale and reliability required. Solar and wind require vast land areas and provide intermittent power that doesn't match the continuous demand of data centers.

Investment Implications

For investors, Meta's nuclear deals highlight several opportunities:

  • Nuclear operators: Vistra (VST), Constellation Energy (CEG), and other nuclear plant operators benefit from long-term contracts with creditworthy counterparties.
  • Nuclear technology: Companies developing advanced reactors, fuel, and services stand to gain from renewed industry growth.
  • Uranium miners: Increased nuclear demand supports higher uranium prices and benefits producers like Cameco and Kazatomprom.

Meta's 6.6-gigawatt commitment represents just the beginning. As AI capabilities expand and energy demands grow, expect more tech giants to follow the nuclear path. The atomic age, it turns out, may just be getting started.