Oklo better positioned to capitalize on AI data-center energy demand than NuScale Power

AI data centers are driving a sharp rise in electricity demand, and that growing need is increasingly pointing investors toward nuclear power. One nuclear company in particular—Oklo—stands to benefit most from the buildout of data center infrastructure, according to analysts cited in the article.

Space ambitions and the energy bottleneck

Earlier this year, Elon Musk’s SpaceX filed an application with the U.S. government to launch up to a million data centers into Earth’s orbit. The article notes that no country or corporation has even accomplished this once, and that the move may have been intended in part to generate attention around a potential SpaceX IPO.

Still, the core issue remains on Earth: the AI revolution depends on rapid expansion of data center capacity, and those facilities require increasing amounts of energy to operate. The article adds that data centers in space could, in theory, reduce cooling costs and use abundant solar energy.

Nuclear seen as a major opportunity

Uncertainty remains around whether SpaceX’s orbital plan will succeed. However, the article says the near-term reality is that massive new energy capacity will be needed to support the global AI data center buildout. It cites Bank of America analysts’ view that a “nuclear renaissance” represents a $10 trillion opportunity.

Who benefits: Oklo and NuScale Power

The article highlights nuclear energy innovators including Oklo (OKLO) and NuScale Power (SMR) as potential direct beneficiaries. It also states that both companies specialize in small modular reactor technology, or SMRs, which—compared with conventional nuclear plants—are described as having lower initial construction costs, shorter initial construction times, improved safety metrics, and easier scaling over time.

Key market snapshot for Oklo

• Today's Change: +5.19% (to $2.48)
• Current Price: $50.23
• Market Cap: $8.7B
• Day's Range: $48.68 - $52.12
• 52-week Range: $19.89 - $193.84
• Volume: 248K; Avg Vol: 9.3M

Cause → development: different SMR strategies

While Oklo and NuScale Power both work with SMRs, the article emphasizes that their approaches differ in how directly they target data center energy needs.

NuScale Power: utility-scale focus

NuScale Power is described as being focused on larger, utility-scale projects. The article cites a deal with the Tennessee Valley Authority to deploy a 6GW system, with a hoped-for online date in the early 2030s, while noting that timeline specifics are still pending.

Oklo: smaller systems aimed at data centers

Oklo is described as more focused on delivering smaller systems suited to data center requirements. The article says Oklo signed a deal with Meta Platforms for a 1.2GW system expected to come online by 2030.

Impact and positioning for AI demand

The article concludes that both companies could contribute to meeting rising AI data center energy needs, but argues that Oklo’s business model is more directly targeted to that specific opportunity. It also notes that Sam Altman, founder and CEO of OpenAI—one of the world’s heaviest users of data center capacity—served as Chairman of Oklo for many years.

Bottom line

If selecting a single nuclear stock to benefit directly from the AI revolution, the article’s position is that Oklo is the clearer choice.