Rapid advances in artificial intelligence and shifting global politics are significantly reshaping how countries view and adopt nuclear energy, according to the authors of the newly released report. While new digital technologies make power plants safer and more efficient, they also create massive new electricity demands and security vulnerabilities that make local control over energy systems a top priority for national security.
The report states that “the widespread adoption of AI is driving a sharp increase in electricity demand, particularly from energy-intensive data centers,” which “underscores the need for a stable, low-carbon baseload power source.” Furthermore, the document notes that in an era of digital geopolitics, “the reliance on foreign software, hardware, and technical expertise is now seen as a strategic vulnerability,” prompting nations to invest in local capabilities to safeguard their nuclear assets.
Essentially, the growth of the digital economy requires a huge amount of constant power that traditional green energy like wind and solar cannot always provide on their own. Nuclear energy is being looked at as a solution because it can run around the clock without producing carbon emissions. However, because modern plants rely so much on computer code and high-tech parts, countries are becoming worried that they could be hacked or that they might become too dependent on other nations for the technology needed to keep their lights on. This is pushing governments to build their own local expertise and technology instead of just buying it from abroad.
The report “Future Scenarios: The Role of Nuclear Power in Malaysia’s Energy Landscape” was published by the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, in 2025. It was prepared by a team of authors and technical experts at MIGHT to provide a strategic foresight outlook on integrating nuclear energy into the nation’s transition to a net-zero economy.
