Amazon, Google sign pledge to support tripling of nuclear energy capacity by 2050

Amazon and Google signed a pledge to support the goal of at least tripling the world’s nuclear energy capacity by 2050.

Major companies such as Amazon and Google on Wednesday signed a pledge to support the goal of at least tripling the world's nuclear energy capacity by 2050, on the sidelines of the CERAWeek conference in Houston.

Shale company Occidental and Japanese heavy machinery maker IHI Corp also added their names to the pledge.

"We are truly at the beginning of a new industry," U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Reuters in an interview at the CERAWeek conference on Tuesday.

The pledge is expected to gain more support in the coming months from industries including maritime, aviation and oil and gas, said the World Nuclear Association (WNA), the nuclear industry group that facilitated the pledge, in a press release.

It adds on to the vow from over 30 countries, which also aimed to triple capacity by 2050 in 2023.

Nuclear energy, a source of clean power, generates 9% of the world's electricity from 439 power reactors, according to WNA.

It has also become a compelling solution for power-guzzling data centers, with Big Tech firms already having signed multiple billion-dollar deals with utilities.