The convergence of AI and nuclear energy brings unique risks, especially when AI moves from a passive tool to an autonomous participant.

AI's energy consumption is growing, but demand for more power is also coming from manufacturing and electric cars.

Meta has announced plans to explore nuclear energy as part of its efforts to power artificial intelligence advancements and support its environmental objectives. The company revealed on Tuesday that it will issue a request for proposals (RFP) to identify developers capable of building 1 to 4 gigawatts of new nuclear power capacity reactors in the United States.

Meta is turning to nuclear power to address its growing AI and data center energy needs, planning to add up to 4 GW of U.S. nuclear capacity by the early 2030s as energy demand triples. Meta Looks to Nuclear Energy

Shares of Palantir Technologies have advanced 290% year to date as unrelenting demand for its artificial intelligence (AI) platform has led to a series of strong financial results. While impressive, Palantir is only the second-best performing member of the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC 0.56%) this year.

Meta has confirmed its plans to use nuclear power to fuel US data centers. The company announced that it’s accepting proposals from nuclear energy developers to work on the project, with the goal of adding between one and four gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity “starting in the early 2030s.”

Surging demand for AI has sparked a race to secure supplies of nuclear power. WSJ’s Peter Landers traveled to the Fukushima exclusion zone in Japan to explore the challenges of atomic energy's comeback.

Nuclear energy could be the long-term solution for the energy demands of AI. In the short-term, though, AI companies may turn to oil and gas.

A blockchain platform and a uranium trading company launched a marketplace on Tuesday to allow small investors to buy physical uranium, hoping to boost spot liquidity in the niche commodity. Uranium has seen a surge in interest from investors and a spike in prices in recent years as miners trimmed output and utilities sought new supplies of mineral that fuels nuclear power.

When it comes to powering artificial intelligence, Meta is going nuclear too. Facebook and Instagram's parent company is the latest tech giant to explore nuclear options to power its AI data centers.

Meta is targeting nuclear power for its AI and environment goals, aiming to procure 1-4 gigawatts of nuclear energy by the 2030s. The company plans to address major challenges in nuclear development and is currently inviting proposals from developers with the capability to engage communities.