Amazon joins the big nuclear party, buying 1.92 GW for AWS

Amazon has joined a growing trend among major tech companies by securing 1.92 gigawatts of electricity from Talen Energy’s Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania to power its AWS cloud and AI servers. Unlike an earlier plan where Amazon intended to build a data center adjacent to the plant and draw power directly—bypassing the grid and transmission fees—regulatory concerns led to a revised agreement. The current deal positions Amazon as a grid-connected customer, paying transmission fees like other users, with the arrangement set to last through 2042. Transmission infrastructure upgrades are planned for spring 2026 to support this setup. Beyond the power purchase, Amazon and Talen Energy plan to explore building small modular reactors (SMRs) within Talen’s Pennsylvania footprint and expanding output at existing nuclear plants. Such expansions typically involve optimizing fuel enrichment, turbine upgrades, or other modifications to increase power generation. This move aligns Amazon with peers like Microsoft and Meta, who have also made significant investments in nuclear