With America preparing to meet the country’s energy demands while utilizing AI, the country requires the supply of one vital fuel for nuclear power, uranium. Without the supply of uranium, America will be unable to meet the energy demand that it wishes to meet successfully. The main obstacle is that America will need up to 180,000,000 to 200,000,000 pounds of uranium annually. None of the uranium that America is in need of comes from within American borders, and most of the uranium can be found within the borders of countries like Russia or Kazakhstan.
Meeting the demand and supply curve for uranium
As has been stated by the nuclear fuel research firm UxC, at present, about 45 million pounds of uranium concentrate (U308) is being consumed annually. After the signing of executive orders by President Donald Trump in favor of the fourfold increase in nuclear energy, the demand for uranium will increase to 400 gigawatts by 2050. Looking at that practically, it means that America would need 180-200 million pounds of uranium yearly.
This demand is further increased due to the rise in AI infrastructure. As per a 2024 report produced by the Electric Power Research Institute, large data centers will be believed to use about 9% of U.S energy, and that too as has been projected by 2030.
While nuclear energy is the right direction for America to take, the pathway to get to this clean energy solution requires an abundance of uranium, which America does not have, but Asia does.
Asia dominates the uranium game
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