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Talen Energy and Amazon Partner on Nuclear Power Deal to Fuel AWS Data Centers

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U.S. utility Talen Energy announced an expanded partnership with Amazon to supply up to 1,920 megawatts of carbon-free electricity from its Susquehanna nuclear plant in Pennsylvania to Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers. The long-term agreement, lasting until 2042, provides Talen with a stable revenue stream while supporting Amazon’s growing energy needs for AI and cloud operations.

Both companies are also exploring the construction of new Small Modular Reactors within Talen’s Pennsylvania footprint and considering expanding the existing nuclear plant’s capacity. This deal comes amid rising U.S. electricity demand for data centers and AI workloads—the first increase in two decades—pushing Big Tech firms to secure reliable and sustainable power sources.

Earlier this month, Constellation Energy reached a similar deal with Meta Platforms to keep an Illinois nuclear reactor operational for 20 more years.

Following the announcement, Talen Energy shares rose nearly 8% in premarket trading.

Kevin Miller, AWS vice president of global data centers, highlighted the investment’s local economic impact, calling it the largest private sector investment in Pennsylvania’s history with $20 billion committed and 1,250 high-skilled jobs created. Miller also emphasized AWS’s commitment to powering its infrastructure with carbon-free energy through this collaboration.

OpenAI Partners with Google Cloud in Surprising AI Rivalry Deal

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OpenAI has struck a significant cloud computing deal with Alphabet’s Google Cloud to support its growing AI infrastructure needs, sources told Reuters. This collaboration, finalized in May, marks an unprecedented partnership between two major competitors in artificial intelligence.

The move signals OpenAI’s efforts to diversify beyond its longtime partner Microsoft, which had exclusively provided data center services until January. Google Cloud will now supply additional computing power to OpenAI for training and running its large language models, including ChatGPT.

The deal highlights the immense compute demands required for AI development and how competitive dynamics are evolving. Despite the fierce rivalry—OpenAI’s ChatGPT poses a strong challenge to Google’s dominant search business—both companies have chosen to cooperate in meeting infrastructure needs.

Alphabet’s stock rose 2.1% following the news, while Microsoft shares slipped 0.6%. Analysts at Scotiabank called the partnership “somewhat surprising” but a strategic win for Google Cloud, which has been aggressively expanding its AI hardware offerings, including tensor processing units (TPUs) used internally and for other customers like Apple.

OpenAI’s recent moves to reduce dependency on Microsoft include partnerships with SoftBank, Oracle, and CoreWeave, as well as plans to develop its own AI chips to cut reliance on external hardware providers. Meanwhile, Microsoft and OpenAI continue to renegotiate their multibillion-dollar investment terms.

Google’s Cloud business, generating $43 billion in sales in 2024, aims to capture market share against rivals Amazon and Microsoft by positioning itself as a neutral cloud provider favored by AI startups with costly infrastructure needs.

This deal presents a complex balancing act for Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, who must allocate limited chip capacity between competing demands from Google’s own AI projects and cloud customers. Despite ChatGPT’s threat to Google’s search dominance, Pichai remains confident in the company’s position.

B. Grimm Power and Digital Edge to Invest $1 Billion in Thailand Data Centre

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Thai energy firm B. Grimm Power Pcl and Singapore-based digital infrastructure company Digital Edge announced a joint investment of $1 billion to build a 100-megawatt data centre in Thailand. This project aims to meet rising demand for digital infrastructure powered by clean energy, driven in part by surging interest in artificial intelligence technologies across Southeast Asia.

Thailand, the region’s second-largest economy, has become a hotspot for tech giants investing heavily in data centres. Notably, TikTok’s parent company Bytedance plans to invest $8.8 billion over five years, while Google is also preparing to launch a $1 billion data centre facility in the country. Earlier this year, Thailand’s investment board approved $3 billion in investments specifically targeted at data centres and energy projects.

Microsoft last year announced plans for its first regional data centre in Thailand, further solidifying the country’s status as a growing digital hub.

B. Grimm Power and Digital Edge said construction will be “fast-tracked” to have the data centre operational by the fourth quarter of 2026, catering to global tech firms looking to expand AI infrastructure in Southeast Asia. Harald Link, Group President of B. Grimm Power, highlighted the synergy between renewable energy and advanced data centre technology, stating the project will support Thailand’s transformation into a regional AI and cloud innovation centre.