Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) on Friday outlined a series of nuclear energy agreements as it moves to secure long-term power supplies to support the rapid expansion of its data centers and artificial intelligence operations.
Central to the announcement is a 20-year agreement with Vistra, which will give Meta access to a total of 2.6 gigawatts of nuclear-generated electricity from a portfolio of U.S. plants. Under the deal, Meta will purchase 2.176 gigawatts of energy and capacity from Vistra’s Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear facilities in Ohio, alongside an additional 433 megawatts tied to equipment upgrades designed to lift output at those sites and at Vistra’s Beaver Valley plant in Pennsylvania.
“At Meta, we are investing in nuclear energy because it provides clean, reliable power that is essential for advancing our AI ambitions,” said Urvi Parekh, Head of Global Energy at Meta.
Separately, Meta announced a partnership with Oklo, a small modular reactor developer backed by Sam Altman. The collaboration is aimed at progressing a 1.2-gigawatt “advanced nuclear technology” campus in Pike County, Ohio, which is intended to supply electricity to Meta’s nearby data center operations.
In addition, TerraPower, the SMR group supported by Bill Gates, will receive funding from Meta to help develop up to eight Natrium reactor and energy storage system facilities across the United States. TerraPower said the projects could deliver as much as 2.8 gigawatts of “carbon-free, baseload energy” to Meta over time.
The announcements sparked sharp gains in pre-market trading for Vistra and Oklo, as well as sector peer NuScale, reflecting growing investor interest in nuclear power solutions tied to AI-driven demand.
Electricity consumption has surged as major technology companies ramp up investment in the data centers required to train and run advanced AI models. Small modular reactors have emerged as a potential answer to this challenge, offering flexible, low-carbon generation, though critics cited by Reuters argue they may struggle to match the cost efficiencies of larger reactors. At present, no SMRs are operating commercially in the United States.
“The hyperscalers aren’t backing off one bit in their AI ambitions and while GPUs/data center construction have been a gating factor in years past, the focus is now pivoting to energy availability, which Meta is looking to address with these nuclear announcements,” analysts at Vital Knowledge said in a note.