MENLO PARK, California: As artificial intelligence demands explode, Big Tech is turning to an old source for new power: nuclear energy.

Meta, Facebook's parent company, has signed a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy to secure nuclear power for its growing computing needs. The agreement, announced this week, will boost output from Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois.

This partnership comes amid a wave of similar moves by tech giants racing to power energy-intensive AI systems while meeting climate goals. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Constellation's Clinton plant, once slated to shut down in 2017 due to financial losses, was saved by an Illinois zero-emission credit program that runs through 2027. Meta's deal kicks in the same year that the program expires.

The companies said that with Meta onboard, the plant's clean energy output will rise by 30 megawatts, supporting 1,100 jobs and contributing US$13.5 million in annual tax revenue.

"Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions," said Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy.

Nuclear energy produces radioactive waste but does not emit carbon dioxide, so it is gaining renewed interest as a low-emission solution to Big Tech's growing energy appetite.

Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have all made recent investments in nuclear energy. Microsoft plans to draw power from the once-closed Three Mile Island facility, and Amazon and Google have announced ventures into small nuclear reactors and advanced nuclear projects.

U.S. states are racing to support this shift. In 2023, 25 states passed legislation supporting advanced nuclear energy. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, lawmakers have introduced more than 200 pro-nuclear bills so far this year.

While tech firms continue to invest in solar and wind, the consistency of nuclear energy — especially during peak loads — is proving increasingly attractive.

Shares of Constellation Energy Corp., based in Baltimore, were flat on June 3.