What are the first thoughts that come to mind when you think of nuclear energy? Do you immediately think of its haunting past related to Chernobyl or Fukushima? Today, nuclear is flipping its past disaster narrative to form a new identity as a potential artificial intelligence (AI) era workhorse.

Nuclear energy comes from the nucleus at the core of an atom, producing either by splitting the nucleus (fission) or joining nuclei together (fusion). The United States has used commercial nuclear energy for almost 70 years, and it now accounts for an 18% share of U.S. electricity generation in 2025.

As the age of AI continues, many technology companies are turning to nuclear energy to power the explosive growth needs of cloud computing. Constellation and Microsoft, for example, are contracted for a  20-year, 835-megawatt (MW) power purchase agreement (PPA) in which Microsoft will purchase power from the Crane Clean Energy Center, formerly, Three Mile Island.

Yet, tech companies and hyperscalers are not the only industries tapping into the benefits of nuclear energy. Earlier this year, grocery retail giant Walmart signed a long-term PPA with Constellation to receive 176 MW of nuclear-generated, emissions –free electricity over two 15-year periods beginning in 2029 and 2030. This deal will support Walmart’s Illinois operations, including its new perishable distribution center, and aligns with the company’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions across its global operations by 2040. This agreement signals a shift in the energy procurement landscape; one where nuclear energy may become a major component of the national grid’s ability to meet electricity demand, driven by buyers well beyond the tech sector.

That growing demand is already reshaping how utilities think about their oldest nuclear assets. That same Crane Clean Energy Center powering Microsoft’s data centers exists today because Constellation secured a $1 billion Department of Energy loan in 2025 to accelerate its restart at the former Three Mile Island Unit 1 reactor. Restarts like this, which can offer continuous, uninterrupted power at a lower cost than building new capacity, are proof that nuclear energy potential is promising enough to revive retired plants, not just fund new PPAs on plants already running.

Agreements like Walmart’s signal the larger role nuclear energy will play in satisfying the power needs AI requires to operate continuously. Only time will tell if more retailers and industries follow the nuclear trend, and how the supply of nuclear capacity will hold up under that demand.