Nuclear energy seems set for a renaissance, in part because of the electricity needs of AI. Getty Images
Nuclear energy seems set for a renaissance, in part because of the electricity needs of AI. Getty Images
Nuclear energy seems set for a renaissance, in part because of the electricity needs of AI. Getty Images
Nuclear energy seems set for a renaissance, in part because of the electricity needs of AI. Getty Images

Did DeepSeek end nuclear energy’s AI comeback?


Cody Combs
  • English
  • Arabic

Just when it looked like the world was ramping up for a nuclear power renaissance, driven in part by AI's insatiable appetite for energy, something unexpected happened: AI became more efficient.

At least that is the claim made by DeepSeek, the Chinese AI platform that purports to do as much as OpenAI's ChatGPT with far less computing power and fewer data centres, and therefore less energy.

Those claims sent several energy companies' stock prices briefly careening, including Constellation Energy, which recently made the most of the energy requirements of AI to boost its nuclear power offerings to technology companies.

Last September, Constellation Energy announced it would be restarting the Three Mile Island Unit 1 in Pennsylvania. Reuters
Last September, Constellation Energy announced it would be restarting the Three Mile Island Unit 1 in Pennsylvania. Reuters

Just how intense was that need for more energy to propel AI data centres? Last September, Constellation Energy announced it would be restarting the Three Mile Island Unit 1 in Pennsylvania as part of a 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft.

Three Mile Island (TMI) was the site of the one of the biggest nuclear accidents in US history. In 1979, the core of Unit 2 was partially exposed, leading to a temporary evacuation of the nearby area and a lengthy clean-up.

The accident left a black mark on the US nuclear industry, one that remains to this day, although recent polling has suggested those concerns may be waning.

President Jimmy Carter, first lady Rosalynn Carter and Pennsylvania governor Richard L Thornburgh in a control room at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in April 1979. Getty Images
President Jimmy Carter, first lady Rosalynn Carter and Pennsylvania governor Richard L Thornburgh in a control room at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in April 1979. Getty Images

All that said, debates remain about the potential health effects stemming from the accident, and research is continuing.

During a recent interview at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, Alistair Speirs, the company's senior director of infrastructure, was asked by The National if the technology giant was taking a pronuclear energy stance with some of its recent moves to power its AI ambitions, particularly the agreement with Constellation Energy.

“Our stance is zero carbon energy,” he said. “We really look at that as the view, so the next question is where can we source zero carbon energy?”

He said Microsoft uses power purchase agreements (PPAs), which are long-term contracts committing to a set amount of energy usage from the grid. That way, Microsoft ensures that the energy provided is supplemental, and therefore not raising energy prices for consumers.

“We're essentially sending a supply signal to the utility providers,” he said, referring to the deal with Constellation Energy's Three Mile Island.

Mr Speirs said that other sources of energy such as hydrogen, solar and wind, depending on the location of data centres, are also in the mix for Microsoft.

The tech giant is not alone in its push to meet the energy needs of data centres. Alphabet, parent company of Google, along with Amazon, Oracle, OpenAI and others have recently expressed interest in using small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) to help meet those needs.

Microsoft has not been shy about the need for more energy to power its AI ambitions. Photo: Cody Combs
Microsoft has not been shy about the need for more energy to power its AI ambitions. Photo: Cody Combs

Mr Speirs spoke to The National in January, before DeepSeek debuted. Some have suggested that increased AI efficiency will blunt and possibly put an end to efforts at bolstering nuclear energy.

That speculation was the main ingredient that led to a sudden drop in Constellation's stock price in late January, along with other energy companies amid the rise of DeepSeek.

Maryam Salman, a senior consultant for Middle East markets at Qamar Energy, said that the situation is far more nuanced, and that DeepSeek's emergence is hardly a death blow for a nuclear renaissance.

“While it is true that the launch of DeepSeek upended investor confidence in nuclear energy for data centres, especially in the West, the underlying nuclear thesis remains intact – power demand is on the rise and will continue growing, whether from homes, factories, commerce, industry [or] new technologies,” she said.

“AI is infinitely scalable, and as new applications emerge and competition intensifies between the US and China, innovation will accelerate, ensuring sustained power demand for the sector. In this context, investing in nuclear energy can serve as a hedge against the unpredictable future of AI power needs,” she added.

Andrea Zanon, chief executive of Confidente, a Washington-based consulting group echoed those sentiments. “I don't want to say it's a no-brainer, but it's clearly happening,” he said, referring to the increasingly prominent nuclear energy push, particularly for smaller, modular nuclear reactors.

He was not very concerned about DeepSeek's long-term impact on energy stocks, particularly nuclear energy. “It's a part of, unfortunately, the panic and the psychology of money,” he said “This AI revolution is only at the beginning and it's going to be manifold bigger than what we see in the news every day, therefore the clean tech aspect, nuclear, will be needed.”

Yet for all the analyst optimism, there remains a stigma around nuclear power. The shadows of the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl's deadly 1986 explosion and Fukushima's 2011 disaster loom large.

Eric Epstein, director of Three Mile Island Alert, said his group opposes efforts to restore Unit 1 at the nuclear power station. Photo: TMI Alert
Eric Epstein, director of Three Mile Island Alert, said his group opposes efforts to restore Unit 1 at the nuclear power station. Photo: TMI Alert

Eric Epstein is director of Three Mile Island Alert, a grass roots safe energy organisation founded in 1977, two years before the Unit 2 accident at the power station. He said that while the world does appear to be in a “nuclear zeitgeist”, it is mostly “mindless”.

“How does exporting [Three Mile Island Unit 1's] energy to another zip code keep the lights on in central Pennsylvania?” he said, in an email to The National. “Starting a zombie nuclear plant to provide electricity to data centres, inanimate beings in northern Virginia, Illinois and Ohio, that's worth fighting against.”

Mr Epstein also said that tax dollars were ultimately being spent in the form of a federal loan to assist Constellation in reviving the reactor, and attempting to greenwash the nuclear industry.

“Consumers, taxpayers, and citizens have been told that nuclear power deserves a second chance because it has now been rebranded as environmentally friendly, simply because it's not coal.”

Constellation Energy said that, pending approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, TMI's Unit 1 is expected to restart in 2028.

RESULTS

2.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)

2.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout

3.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Inthar, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi

3.45pm: Al Ain Stud Emirates Breeders Trophy – Conditions (PA) Dh50,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: MH Rahal, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne

4.25pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: JAP Aneed, Ray Dawson, Irfan Ellahi

4.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Edaraat, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EClara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPatrick%20Rogers%2C%20Lee%20McMahon%2C%20Arthur%20Guest%2C%20Ahmed%20Arif%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELegalTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%244%20million%20of%20seed%20financing%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWamda%20Capital%2C%20Shorooq%20Partners%2C%20Techstars%2C%20500%20Global%2C%20OTF%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Knuru%20Capital%2C%20Plug%20and%20Play%20and%20The%20LegalTech%20Fund%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Biggest%20applause
%3Cp%3EAsked%20to%20rate%20Boris%20Johnson's%20leadership%20out%20of%2010%2C%20Mr%20Sunak%20awarded%20a%20full%2010%20for%20delivering%20Brexit%20%E2%80%94%20remarks%20that%20earned%20him%20his%20biggest%20round%20of%20applause%20of%20the%20night.%20%22My%20views%20are%20clear%2C%20when%20he%20was%20great%20he%20was%20great%20and%20it%20got%20to%20a%20point%20where%20we%20need%20to%20move%20forward.%20In%20delivering%20a%20solution%20to%20Brexit%20and%20winning%20an%20election%20that's%20a%2010%2F10%20-%20you've%20got%20to%20give%20the%20guy%20credit%20for%20that%2C%20no-one%20else%20could%20probably%20have%20done%20that.%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
While you're here
SPECS%3A%20Polestar%203
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELong-range%20dual%20motor%20with%20400V%20battery%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E360kW%20%2F%20483bhp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E840Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20touring%20range%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20628km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100km%2Fh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.7sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20210kph%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh360%2C000%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeptember%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog

Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives. 

The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast. 

As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau

He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker. 

If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah

 

Votes

Total votes: 1.8 million

Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes

Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes 

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

While you're here

Michael Young: Where is Lebanon headed?

Kareem Shaheen: I owe everything to Beirut

Raghida Dergham: We have to bounce back

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

RESULT

West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' ) 
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72') 

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

Coming soon

Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura

When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Akira Back Dubai

Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as,  “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems. 

About Tenderd

Started: May 2018

Founder: Arjun Mohan

Based: Dubai

Size: 23 employees 

Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

Updated: February 10, 2025, 10:24 PM