Nuclear power is gaining renewed attention in the United States as the expansion of artificial intelligence and the data center increases demand for reliable, large-scale power.
According to the latest information Miner’s Weekly A newsletter from TheEnergyMag, recent annual filings show that major utilities and power producers believe the United States could be entering a “nuclear renaissance.”
The publication cited recent annual reports showing that utilities are linking the revival with long-term power contractsfront-end.
Instead of relying on renewable energy credits to offset emissions, some hyperscalers now support entire nuclear facilities to provide carbon-free electricity around the clock, the publication says.
While major tech companies are increasingly turning to nuclear power to ensure long-term power supplies, Bitcoin miners were among the first to experiment with placing high-end computers next to large power sources.
The Bulletin notes that miners recognized early on that nuclear power, once seen as a declining industry, could become critical infrastructure for the next generation of high-performance computing.
An early example was TeraWulf, which in 2021 formed a joint venture with Pennsylvania-based Talen Energy to develop the Nautilus Cryptomine facility next to the Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant. As TheEnergyMag reported, mining operations are designed to draw electricity directly from nuclear facilities.
related to: Bitcoin Mining Report 2026: AI Wheels, Margin Pressure and the Struggle for Survival
The role of nuclear power in Bitcoin mining is increasing
The connection between Bitcoin mining and nuclear energy is not new.
As early as 2022, 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 had already gained a foothold in Bitcoin mining for several years.
According to the center, nuclear energy accounted for about 4% of Bitcoin mining in 2021 and will increase to about 9% in 2022.
Since then, that share has approached 10%, while sustainable energy sources in total, including nuclear, hydropower and wind, now account for around 52.4% of Bitcoin mining’s electricity consumption.
Another development that is attracting the attention of 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 conventional plants, making them easier to co-locate with energy-intensive infrastructure such as data centers.
As Cointelegraph reported, companies such as Google have already signed agreements to develop SMRs to power future computing hardware – a model that could eventually extend to large-scale Bitcoin mining operations.
related to: France’s National Rassemblement party supports nuclear-powered Bitcoin mining
