Why does it matter?
If data centers pull nuclear forward, AI demand would help change which energy projects get built.
Direct quote
Dispatchable sources, led by natural gas, also have a crucial role to play, with the tech sector helping to bring forward new nuclear and geothermal technologies as well. Natural gas expands by 175 TWh to meet growing data centre demand, notably in the United States. Nuclear contributes about the same amount of additional generation to meet data centre demand, notably in China, Japan and the United States. The first small modular reactors come online around 2030.
IEA Energy and AI