SMR startup Oklo is building its reactor in Idaho, a step toward supplying Meta data centers with power; the US has an estimated 22 active reactor projects
Context & Ripple Effects
Meta’s pursuit of nuclear supply began with a request for developer proposals and later became power-purchase and reactor-support agreements with Oklo, TerraPower, and Vistra. Oklo’s Idaho build is a tangible execution step within that procurement strategy rather than a standalone SMR announcement.
Meta has also funded natural-gas infrastructure for its Louisiana data center, showing that its data-center expansion is being matched with multiple forms of dedicated energy supply. The 22 active US reactor projects place Oklo among a broader field competing to turn contracted demand into operating capacity.
First-order effects
- Oklo moves its Meta-linked project from backing toward physical delivery, making construction execution central to its role in Meta’s power-supply plans.
- Meta gains a more concrete path to supply from the Oklo project while continuing to rely on a portfolio that includes existing nuclear generation and new infrastructure.
Second-order effects
- TerraPower and other developers seeking large data-center customers face a higher bar: buyer commitments increasingly need to be paired with visible project progress.
- The contrast between Oklo’s reactor build and Meta’s Louisiana gas investments reinforces that power providers compete not only on generation type but on their ability to deliver infrastructure for data-center timelines.
Third-order effects
- If more active reactor projects secure construction progress alongside large buyer commitments, data-center operators may become anchor customers shaping which next-generation power projects advance.
- The broader shift is toward power procurement as an execution problem for compute expansion, with developers competing for contracted demand and the ability to build against it.
The trend: AI data-center expansion is turning large technology companies into anchor buyers for a diversified pipeline of new power infrastructure, including SMRs.