Nuclear power is back in the spotlight in the United States as artificial intelligence and data center expansion drive demand for reliable, large-scale power.
According to the latest information minor weekly According to TheEnergyMag’s newsletter, major utilities and power producers believe the U.S. may be entering a “nuclear renaissance,” according to recent annual reports.
The publication cited a recent annual report showing that utilities are tying their resurgence to long-term power contracts with AI hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Metaplatform.
Rather than relying solely on renewable energy credits to offset emissions, some hyperscalers are now supporting entire nuclear facilities to ensure 24-hour carbon-free power, the magazine said.
As major technology companies increasingly turn to nuclear energy to secure long-term power supplies, Bitcoin miners are among the first to experiment with colocating high-performance computing next to large-scale baseload energy sources.
The newsletter notes that miners recognized early on that nuclear power, once seen as a declining industry, could become a critical infrastructure for the next generation of high-performance computing.
One early example is TeraWulf, which formed a joint venture with Pennsylvania-based Talen Energy in 2021 to develop the Nautilus cryptomine facility next to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant. As reported by TheEnergyMag, the mining operation was designed to draw power directly from the nuclear facility.
Related: Bitcoin Mining 2026 Prediction: AI Turnabout, Margin Pressure, and Fight for Survival
The role of nuclear power in Bitcoin mining is growing
The relationship between Bitcoin mining and nuclear energy is not new.
Researchers at the Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance, a research institute at the University of Cambridge that studies digital asset markets, reported that nuclear power has been becoming more prevalent in Bitcoin mining for several years, possibly as early as 2022.
Nuclear energy accounted for about 4% of Bitcoin mining in 2021, rising to nearly 9% in 2022, according to the center’s data.
Since then, that share has approached 10%, and now sustainable energy sources overall, including nuclear, hydropower, and wind, account for approximately 52.4% of Bitcoin mining electricity consumption.
Electricity consumption by power source for Bitcoin mining in 2025. source: Cambridge Alternative Finance Center
Another development that is gaining attention from both the AI and crypto industries is the rise of small modular reactors (SMRs). These reactors are designed to be smaller and faster to deploy than traditional plants, making them easier to co-locate with energy-intensive infrastructure such as data centers.
As reported by Cointelegraph, companies such as Google have already signed deals to develop SMRs to power future computing facilities. This model could eventually be expanded to large-scale Bitcoin mining operations.
Related: France’s Rassemblement National Party supports Bitcoin mining using nuclear energy
