Opinion: The Northwest could power America’s AI revolution — if we go nuclear

This opinion piece argues that the Northwest region of the US should embrace nuclear power as a solution to meet the growing energy demands of new technologies like Artificial Intelligence. The article cites an analysis anticipating a 300% growth in data center energy consumption over the next 10 years, largely driven by the computational needs of AI. It states that while renewable sources like wind and solar are appealing, they are intermittent and unreliable, and nuclear power provides a more stable and dependable baseload energy solution. The piece highlights the work of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the leading US lab for nuclear development, in collaborating with Amazon to use AI for designing, licensing, building and operating nuclear facilities. It also notes that INL has been working to streamline the regulatory process and attract nuclear investors to the region. The article calls on policymakers to facilitate the growth of nuclear infrastructure in the Northwest, through regulatory reforms and regional cooperation, in order to meet the country's rising energy demands and support the AI revolution.