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The French government sees nuclear power as a stable and low-emission energy source capable of supporting the significant electricity requirements associated with AI systems
In sum – what to know:
Nuclear power to back AI growth – France plans to use its large nuclear energy capacity to support the expansion of AI data centers requiring vast amounts of electricity.
Surplus low-carbon electricity available – The country exported about 90 TWh of decarbonized electricity last year, giving it room to expand computing infrastructure.
AI investment strategy – France hopes its stable nuclear power supply will attract companies building large AI data centers and high-performance computing facilities.
French president Emmanuel Macron said the country intends to rely on its nuclear energy capacity to support the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure, particularly energy-intensive data centers.
Speaking at the World Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris, Macron said the country’s extensive nuclear power system gives it a strategic advantage as demand grows for the computing resources required to run advanced AI models.
According to Macron, France’s existing energy mix could help sustain the growing electricity needs of large-scale computing infrastructure. Nuclear power plants already provide the majority of the country’s electricity and produce a substantial volume of low-carbon power that can be directed toward digital infrastructure.
The French president also noted that the country exported roughly 90 terawatt hours of decarbonized electricity last year, most of it generated by nuclear facilities. This surplus capacity, he said, creates an opportunity for France to host additional data centers without putting pressure on domestic electricity supply.
The French government sees nuclear power as a stable and low-emission energy source capable of supporting the significant electricity requirements associated with AI systems. Training and operating large AI models requires huge computing power, which in turn drives high levels of energy consumption in the data centers that run them.
As demand for AI infrastructure accelerates globally, governments and technology companies are increasingly searching for locations that can provide reliable, large-scale electricity supply. Macron said France’s nuclear fleet places the country in a strong position in the global competition to attract investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
By combining its existing supply of decarbonized electricity with new investments in computing capacity, France hopes to attract technology companies seeking locations for large AI-focused data center campuses. The strategy forms part of a broader effort by the French government to position the country as a major hub for artificial intelligence development.
RCR Tech recently spoke with two experts who explained the challenges of using nuclear power in AI data centers.
