Tech Diplomacy Now: Will AI Bring About a New Era of Nuclear Power?
Facing growing backlash that AI Data Centers are driving up energy costs on homeowners, technology companies are making investments to expand nuclear power for electricity generation in the U.S.
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Top News of the Week – Will AI Bring About a New Era of Nuclear Power?
Facing growing backlash that AI Data Centers are driving up energy costs on homeowners, technology companies are making investments to expand nuclear power for electricity generation in the United States. This coincides with Administration and Congressional efforts to pursue an “all of the above” energy policy.
Key points:
After fifty years of dwindling nuclear power plants, the energy affordability crunch from data centers may bring about a resurgence of nuclear power plants in the United States.
The Department of Energy appears poised to approve Small Modular Reactors, as well as decommissioned nuclear reactors from Navy ships.
As these new fission reactors come on line, the United States may be only a few years away from fusion reactors.
More on Background:
TSMC’s Strong Outlook Fires Up Hopes of Sustained AI Boom - Debby Wu and Vlad Savov, Bloomberg, January 15, 2026
Nuclear Fusion Energy’s Long Promised Future Starts to Look Commercially Real – Observer, January 12, 2026
How to Make Fusion Great Again and Beat China – Andrew Follett, National Interest, January 10, 2026
Meta Announces Nuclear Energy Projects, Unlocking Up to 6.6 GW to Power American Leadership in AI Innovation – Meta, January 9, 2026
Meta Unveils Sweeping Nuclear-Power Plan to Fuel Its AI Ambitions – WSJ, January 9, 2026
Meta signs 20-year deal with Ohio nuclear plants for upgrades to power AI operations – Cleveland.com, January 9, 2026
The Fight Over Making Data Centers Power Down to Avoid Blackouts – WSJ, January 6, 2026
The data center rebellion is here, and it’s reshaping the political landscape – WaPo, January 6, 2026
AI data centers may soon be powered by retired Navy nuclear reactors from aircraft carriers and submarines — firm asks U.S. DOE for a loan guarantee to start the project – Tom’s Hardware, December 25, 2025
Google Data Centers Are Returning Nuclear Power to Tornado Country – Wired, December 13, 2025
Hochul enrages environmentalists with shift to ‘all of the above’ energy policy – Politico, November 11, 2025
More is More: An All-of-the-Above Strategy for America’s Energy Cost Crisis – Third Way, September 24, 2025
Latest News
For Years, Powell Avoided Fighting Trump. That’s Over. – Wall Street Journal, January 12, 2026
‘Freaked out’ about the bond market: White House reels from Powell probe – Politico, January 12, 2026
Russia’s Fearsome Arsenal Fizzled in Venezuela. Here’s Why. – NYTs, January 12, 2026
Civilian or military? China turns to merchant fleet to boost military power. – Japan Times, January 12, 2026
Trump weighs response to Iran crackdown, Tehran says communication open with US – Reuters, January 12, 2026
China blinks again following dual-use export threat earlier in the week – Japan Times, January 9, 2026
Meta Creates High-Powered Team to Oversee AI Infrastructure Buildout – WSJ, January 12, 2026
Technology Strategy and Policy
Qatar and UAE to join U.S.-led effort to bolster technology supply chain – Reuters, January 11, 2026
GOP effort to thwart chip sales to China gains steam – Axios, January 9, 2026
Why Are Cyberattacks on the Rise? What Can Be Done? – Bloomberg, January 8, 2026
China’s dual-use export ban on Japan a decisive escalation – Japan Times, January 7, 2026
Switzerland to vet Chinese investment, but some say law is too weak – Nikkei Asia, January 6, 2026
Artificial Intelligence
Apple, Google strike Gemini deal for revamped Siri in major win for Alphabet – Reuters, January 12, 2026
China is closing in on US technology lead despite constraints, AI researchers say – Reuters, January 10, 2026
Artificial intelligence begins prescribing medications in Utah – Politico, January 6, 2026
OpenAI Challengers Test Appetite for China AI With Twin IPOs – Bloomberg, January 6, 2026
Southern California’s unlikely AI mecca is this very industrial city – LA Times, December 30, 2025
Telecommunications Networks and Infrastructure
Starlink rival Eutelsat orders 340 OneWeb satellites from Airbus – Reuters, January 12, 2026
Trump says he will talk to Musk about restoring internet in Iran – Reuters, January 11, 2026
China hacked email systems of US congressional committee staff – FT, January 8, 2026
The New Arteries of Power: Subsea Cables Are This Century’s Hidden Battleground – Foreign Affairs, January 2, 2026
China is commercializing energy-efficient underwater data centers – MERICS, December 4, 2025
Critical Minerals
Japan deep-sea rare-earth project begins off remote southern island – Nikkei Asia, January 12, 2026
Rio Tinto, Glencore Restart Talks to Form World’s Biggest Miner – WSJ, January 9, 2026
Navarro Sees US Ending Chinese Dominance of Critical Minerals – Bloomberg, January 8, 2026
Beetles block mining of Europe’s biggest rare earths deposit – Phys.org, December 20, 2025
Synthetic Biology
Funding for Risky Biotechs Is Returning – WSJ, January 12, 2026
Anthropic expands into healthcare a week after OpenAI launched a similar product – Business Insider, January 11, 2026
Quantum
SEEQC Establishes US-Taiwan Quantum Technology Ecosystem to Accelerate Chip-Based Scaling – Quantum Computing Report, January 12, 2026
Quantum computers could help sharpen images of exoplanets – New Scientist, January 12, 2026
Researchers Report Quantum Computing Can Accelerate Drug Design – Quantum Insider, January 12, 2026
Are quantum computers finally becoming useful? – FT, January 11, 2026
Lawmakers Introduce National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act After Lapse – Quantum Insider, January 8, 2026
Advanced Aerospace Technology
China applies to put 200,000 satellites in space after calling Starlink a crash risk – SCMP, January 11, 2026
China’s Insta360 flies into US drone market as DJI faces tighter curbs – Nikkei Asia, January 10, 2026
US Commerce Department drops plan to impose restrictions on Chinese-made drones – Reuters, January 9, 2026
China warns satellites from Elon Musk’s Starlink are ‘safety and security’ risk – SCMP, January 1, 2026
How to Secure the Sky: America Needs a Defense Against Drones – Foreign Affairs, December 26, 2025
Semiconductors and Microelectronics
Atom-thin, content-addressable memory enables edge AI applications – Phys.org, January 12, 2026
AI memory is sold out, causing an unprecedented surge in prices – CNBC, January 10, 2026
Tokyo Electron gears up for AI-driven ‘supercycle’ in memory demand – Nikkei Asia, January 9, 2026
Honda postpones restart of Chinese plants over chip shortage – Nikkei Asia, January 6, 2026
Fact Sheet: Restoring American Semiconductor Manufacturing Leadership Through an Agreement on Trade & Investment with Taiwan – U.S. Department of Commerce, January 15, 2026
Energy and Climate
Chinese battery parts supplier scraps $200m Luxembourg acquisition – Nikkei Asia, January 12, 2026
Japan to let private sector use 3 nuclear fusion R&D sites – Nikkei Asia, January 12, 2026
Sinking boreal trees in the deep Arctic Ocean could remove billions of tons of carbon each year – Phys.org, January 12, 2026
Toyota doubles down on internal combustion engines despite China EV shift – Nikkei Asia, January 7, 2026
Opinion and Commentary
The Guardian view on Europe’s crisis of self-confidence: a new mindset needed for new times – The Guardian, January 12, 2026
Go Around and Strangle Things – Andy Kessler, WSJ, January 11, 2026
Trump may be the beginning of the end for ‘enshittification’ – this is our chance to make tech good again – Cory Doctorow, The Guardian, January 10, 2026
America must embrace the Electric Age, or fall behind – Noah Smith, Noahpinion, January 9, 2026
America’s chip export controls are working – Noah Smith, Noahpinion, January 2, 2026
America Needs Economic Warriors: A New Era of Statecraft Demands a New Kind of Strategist – Navin Girishankar, Foreign Affairs, December 30, 2025
The Last Word
“State-of-the-art data centers and AI infrastructure are essential to securing America’s position as a global leader in AI. Nuclear energy will help power our AI future, strengthen our country’s energy infrastructure, and provide clean, reliable electricity for everyone.”
— Joel Kaplan, Chief Global Affairs Officer, Meta
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Solid roundup on the nuclear resurgance driven by AI compute needs. The retired Navy reactor idea is particulary clever since decommissioned nuclear subs already have proven small-form reactors. Meta's 6.6 GW commitment plus DOE approval for SMRs could flip the fifty-year decline faster than expected. The timing aligns well with fusion getting closer to commercial viability.