There may still be a stigma around nuclear energy, which can conjure up images like the eerie scene painted in the 2019 HBO mini-series about the Chernobyl disaster. The infamous Three Mile Island incident sparked a series of reforms, though, that led to the creation of a stringent federal oversight body.

“That was a pretty serious wake-up for the industry. That set off a path to really emphasize safe operations and make sure these kinds of challenges and threats were not a feature going forward,” Crozat said.

Now, Crozat said, things are designed in a much safer way than they were when Three Mile Island opened in the 1970s and certainly than when Chernobyl opened in a way that even modern American scientists of the time wouldn’t have opted to design a reactor.

That opens up nuclear as an option as an energy source for things like data centers, which have helped lead the transition to an economy increasingly reliant on jobs in the technology sector.

“I think, as we continue to see the economy evolve and embrace the role of data and digitization, making sure the energy system is evolving along with it to meet the goals we’re talking about [is important],” Crozat said. “This isn’t just a nuclear question, and this isn’t just a wind question or a solar question. It’s how we find the right tools to bring them all together at the same time.

“I think those that are leading this economic evolution can also lead the energy evolution.”

With safety measures in place and no dependence on fossil fuels, nuclear has a role to play in powering the data centers that are helping change our future.