The Cyber-Nuclear Nexus: Safeguarding Clean Energy

Politicians' and tech giants' embrace of nuclear energy to power AI heightens the urgency to protect critical infrastructure from cyber threats.

On May 23, 2025, President Trump signed a series of executive orders to dramatically expand U.S. nuclear power production, setting an aggressive goal of quadrupling domestic output over the next 25 years. At the signing, he declared "It's time for nuclear." These orders direct the federal government to reorganize the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to accelerate project approvals, assess the feasibility of restarting shuttered nuclear plants, and identify new reactor sites on federal land, among other reforms.

Leading AI companies are driving the demand for nuclear energy solutions to support their expanding operations. The rapid adoption of generative AI is fueling an unprecedented surge in energy demand to power the data centers behind the technology. This growing need for reliable, low-carbon energy is prompting a