Key Points
- The U.S. government has signed an $80 billion deal with Westinghouse to build new nuclear reactors.
- The move is a response to the massive demand for electricity from the AI industry.
- The partnership is part of President Trump’s plan to scale up the U.S. nuclear industry. The project is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs.
- The deal is seen as a strategic move to compete with China in both energy and technology.
The U.S. government has signed a massive $80 billion deal with Westinghouse Electric to build a new fleet of nuclear reactors. The move is a direct response to the explosive demand for electricity from the booming artificial intelligence industry and a key part of President Trump’s plan to secure America’s energy future.
The partnership, which also includes Brookfield Asset Management and uranium producer Cameco, is designed to scale up the U.S. nuclear industry, which the administration sees as vital for competing with China. “The program will cement the United States as one of the world’s nuclear energy powerhouses,” the companies said in a statement.
The AI revolution is creating an unprecedented demand for power. The electricity needed for U.S. data centers is expected to double by 2035, and the country is rushing to build new power plants to keep up.
While building new nuclear reactors is a long-term process, the scale of this new commitment is massive. The companies say the project will create tens of thousands of manufacturing and engineering jobs, and a full national deployment could create over 100,000 construction jobs.
This deal is a clear sign that the U.S. is turning to nuclear power to meet the immense energy needs of the AI era and to re-establish its leadership in a critical technology.
