ARIZONA’S POWER QUESTION IS BECOMING A TECHNOLOGY STORY — AND NUCLEARN IS ALREADY IN THE MIDDLE OF IT

By Kyle Macdonald, COO of Silicon Oasis

Arizona’s technology boom is increasingly forcing a conversation that sits underneath nearly every major economic-development announcement: where will the power come from?

Phoenix Business Journal reported that Arizona utilities are evaluating new nuclear generation as electricity demand accelerates, with roughly 4,000 megawatts of additional capacity projected to be needed by 2033. The growth of semiconductor manufacturing, advanced manufacturing and data-center infrastructure is making reliable electricity an increasingly important part of Arizona’s competitive position.

What makes this particularly interesting for Arizona’s technology ecosystem is that a Phoenix company is already building software for the nuclear industry.

Nuclearn develops artificial-intelligence software specifically for nuclear operations. The company says its technology is used across more than 70 facilities in North America and the United Kingdom, helping nuclear operators automate and improve complex workflows.

That connection matters. Arizona’s emergence as the Silicon Oasis cannot depend solely on attracting fabs, data centers and large technology employers. A mature technology ecosystem also produces companies that solve the second-order problems created by that growth.

Energy is quickly becoming one of those problems.

Arizona already has Palo Verde, the nation’s largest nuclear power plant by net generation. Now, as power demand rises, the state has an opportunity to become a center not only for energy-intensive technology but also for technologies that make energy infrastructure more productive.

Nuclearn is an early example of what that next layer of the Silicon Oasis could look like.

Articles of Reference:
https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2026/09/04/arizona-nuclear-option-reactor-site-development.html
https://nuclearn.com/