Meta Platforms Inc. has officially entered the nuclear energy arena, announcing a series of historic power purchase agreements with three major energy providers: Vistra, TerraPower, and Oklo. This strategic move, finalized on January 9, 2026, is designed to secure a massive 6.6 gigawatts (GW) of clean, reliable electricity by 2035. As the competition for Artificial Intelligence supremacy intensifies, Meta is positioning itself to ensure that its massive data center expansions are not throttled by the limitations of the aging American power grid.

The centerpiece of this energy offensive is Meta’s partnership with Vistra, which will provide immediate and mid-term grid stability. Unlike experimental projects, Vistra operates an established fleet of nuclear plants. The agreement involves "uprating" existing reactors and extending the life of current facilities to funnel dedicated power to Meta’s expanding infrastructure. By securing existing nuclear capacity, Meta can begin scaling its next-generation AI models as early as late 2026, giving it a temporal advantage over rivals still waiting for new construction.

Beyond traditional reactors, Meta is betting big on the future of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) through its deal with Oklo, the Sam Altman-backed energy startup. Oklo’s fast fission technology is designed to be deployed in smaller, more flexible footprints, making them ideal for co-locating directly with data centers. This partnership aims to bring several "Aurora" powerhouse units online by 2030, providing a decentralized energy source that reduces the company's reliance on the public utility infrastructure and lowers long-term operational costs.

The third pillar of the agreement involves TerraPower, the Bill Gates-founded company known for its "Natrium" reactor technology. TerraPower’s advanced sodium-cooled reactors include a molten salt energy storage system, which allows the plant to boost its power output for short periods when demand peaks. For Meta, this flexibility is vital for managing the fluctuating power spikes associated with training massive AI models, such as the upcoming Llama 5 and Llama 6 series, which require consistent but occasionally immense energy surges.

A significant portion of this 6.6 GW capacity is earmarked for Meta's massive "Prometheus" supercluster project in New Albany, Ohio. This 1-gigawatt data center facility is poised to become one of the most powerful AI training grounds in the world. By securing nuclear power locally, Meta is not only ensuring 24/7 carbon-free energy but also supporting the regional economy with an estimated 3,000 new high-tech and construction jobs, effectively turning the Midwest into a nucleus for global AI development.

The market response to Meta’s nuclear pivot was immediate and overwhelmingly positive. Following the announcement, shares of Vistra and Oklo surged by more than 15%, as investors recognized the "hyperscaler" effect on the nuclear sector. Meta’s commitment provides the long-term financial certainty these energy companies need to break ground on new projects. Analysts suggest that Meta has now surpassed Microsoft and Google in terms of total nuclear capacity under contract, cementing its status as the world’s largest corporate purchaser of nuclear energy.

As Meta looks toward the next decade, these agreements signal a fundamental shift in how Big Tech operates. No longer content with just designing chips and software, Mark Zuckerberg is now an active architect of the physical energy grid. By locking in 6.6 GW of nuclear power, Meta has essentially built a "moat" around its AI ambitions—ensuring that while others may struggle with power shortages and carbon taxes, the servers behind Instagram, WhatsApp, and the Metaverse will keep humming on the back of carbon-free atomic energy.