Google Trends for 2025 about Nuclear Energy

Top 25 Topics Searched on Google About Nuclear Energy in the U.S. and Globally

A Few Observations of What’s Up for 2026

Neutron Bytes was curious about what people asked Google about nuclear energy in 2025 and what Google artificial Intelligence (AI) platform GEMINI could come up with about the most significant events/trends for nuclear energy in 2025 and possible developments in 2026. (Image: Google Gemini)

The information that follows is based on a series of iterative prompts to Google’ GEMINI AI platform. These data reports and related text are about searches by people using Google and do not necessarily serve as a ranking of the importance of these issues to the industry.

Public excitements and alarms about the nuclear industry are the stuff of public relations and political persuasion and often diverge significantly from technical reality on the ground.

However, the nuclear industry can benefit from these reports in setting priorities how they communicate with the public and to be alert for topics that are top of mind for the public as represented by these data.

Neutron Bytes offers these responses as interesting information only and food for thought and not as a definitive analyses performed by humans.

In addition to the summary listings there are links in this post to the AI generated spreadsheets generated by prompts from Neutron Bytes. The files are accessible to anyone with the link. Please credit Google GEMINI as the source of the data and the text.

Key Search Trends Analyzed by Google

The “Big Tech” Pivot: Nearly 40% of the top searches were directly tied to Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Amazon securing nuclear power for their AI infrastructure.

Restarts vs. New Builds: In 2025, the public was more interested in restarting old plants (Three Mile Island, Palisades, Duane Arnold) than in traditional large-scale new construction, due to the faster timeline for data centers.

Advanced Fuel: “HALEU” moved from a niche technical term to a top-20 search topic as investors and policymakers realized it is the primary bottleneck for the next generation of reactors.

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Benefits of New Federal Laws for Nuclear Reactor Developers – Google AI Analysis

Prompt: How Did New 2025 Federal Laws Benefit Nuclear Reactor Developers in 2025?

1. The “18-Month” Licensing Mandate (EO 14300)

This is the biggest win for Kairos and X-energy. Previously, the NRC review process was a 4-to-7-year “black hole.” Under the May 2025 Executive Orders, the NRC is mandated to reach a final decision within 18 months.

Impact: This aligns reactor construction timelines with the speed of data center builds (typically 2–3 years), allowing tech companies to sync their power needs with their hardware deployments.

2. Microreactor Streamlining (ADVANCE Act Sec. 208)

Oklo is the primary beneficiary here. Because their “Aurora” powerhouse is significantly smaller than a traditional reactor, the law forces the NRC to stop treating them like a large-scale power plant.

Impact: It creates a “tech-inclusive” framework that allows Oklo to deploy units on-site at data centers or military bases (like Eielson AFB) without the massive exclusion zones required for larger plants.

3. The HALEU Fuel Pilot Program

Advanced reactors (X-energy, TerraPower, Oklo) cannot run on standard nuclear fuel; they need HALEU.

Impact: In 2025, the DOE fast-tracked fuel fabrication licenses for X-energy (TRISO-X) and Oklo. This breaks the Russian monopoly on this specific fuel type and ensures these companies have a domestic supply chain ready by their 2028-2030 launch dates.

4. National Security Deployment (EO 14299)

This order allows the DOD to conduct its own reactor design reviews that are “presumptively binding” on the NRC.

Impact: This creates a “fast lane” for companies like Radiant and BWXT who are building reactors for the military. It bypasses much of the standard civilian regulatory friction by classifying the power source as a national security asset.

5. The “Tech-to-Nuclear” Pipeline

In 2025, we saw the emergence of the “Master Power Agreement”—a new financial model enabled by these laws.

The Model: Google or Amazon provides the “off-take agreement” (guaranteed purchase), the federal government provides the “regulatory fast-track,” and the SMR company provides the technology.

The Result: This trio solved the “Chicken and Egg” problem of nuclear: nobody wanted to build because it took too long, and nobody wanted to license because there was no buyer.

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Google Trends ~ Top Searches for the Global Nuclear Industry in 2025

Key Observations

The “AI Effect“: In late 2025, search volume for “baseload power” and “uranium” spiked specifically in connection with data center expansion.

China’s Dominance: China continues to be the most searched region for “new construction,” with the ACP100 (Linglong One) being the most searched specific reactor design.

Eastern Europe Rising: Poland and the Czech Republic have become high-interest “newcomer” hubs as they move from planning to execution phases.

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Looking Ahead – What’s Up for 2026 for the Nuclear Energy Industry?

Based on the rapid shifts in policy and technology seen throughout 2025, 2026 is shaping up to be a “year of firsts” for the nuclear energy sector. The following four areas are expected to dominate the conversation:

1. The “First-of-a-Kind” (FOAK) Deployment Race

After years of planning, 2026 will be the year theoretical designs finally become steel in the ground or electrons on the grid:

China’s Linglong One: Scheduled to begin commercial operations in early 2026, it is poised to become the world’s first commercial onshore Small Modular Reactor (SMR). This will be a major benchmark for global cost and safety standards.

Project Pele: The U.S. Department of Defense’s mobile microreactor is slated for demonstration in 2026 at Idaho National Laboratory. This “nuclear battery” on a truck could revolutionize energy for remote military and disaster relief sites.

Palisades Restart: In Michigan, the Palisades nuclear plant is targeting a restart in early 2026. If successful, it would be the first decommissioned reactor in U.S. history to return to active service.

2. The AI-Nuclear Marriage

Big Tech’s demand for “firm” (24/7) carbon-free power to fuel data centers will reach a fever pitch. In 2026, expect to see:

Construction Starts: Companies like X-energy and Oklo are expected to break ground on facilities specifically designed to power industrial plants and data hubs.

Fusion Milestones: Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is aiming to produce its “first plasma” in 2026. While commercial power is still years away, the involvement of tech giants like Google and Microsoft as partners will keep fusion in the headlines as a long-term AI power solution.

3. Supply Chain “Picks and Shovels”

2025 highlighted a critical shortage of fuel and specialized parts. In 2026, the focus will shift from building reactors to fueling them:

HALEU Production: High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) is the “gasoline” for many next-gen reactors. 2026 will see the results of massive 2025 government investments to move supply chains away from Russia and toward domestic or allied sources (e.g., Urenco and Centrus).

Uranium Mining Boom: Exploration drilling in regions like Canada’s Athabasca Basin and the U.S. Southwest will intensify in 2026 to close the widening supply gap.

4. Policy and Global Geopolitics

The “15 Reactor” Threshold: Analysts (including BloombergNEF) predict roughly 15 new reactors will come online globally in 2026, adding 12GW of capacity.

Financing Shifts: The World Bank and other international lenders are expected to finalize new pathways for nuclear financing in 2026, potentially opening the door for developing nations to adopt SMR technology.

Turkey’s Akkuyu: Bolstered by a $9 billion financing deal in late 2025, Turkey’s first nuclear plant will see massive construction acceleration throughout 2026.

Top Ranked Google Trends (Searches) 2025 in the U.S. for Nuclear Energy

Rank    Topic     Full Spreadsheet for this List 

1    Three Mile Island Restart
2    Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)
3    Google Nuclear Deal
4    AI Data Center Energy Demand
5    Oklo Inc (OKLO)
6    Palisades Nuclear Plant
7    NuScale Power (SMR)
8    Uranium Prices / Spot Price
9    NextEra Duane Arnold Restart
10    Nuclear Energy Stocks
11    High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU)
12    Vogtle Unit 4
13    Nuclear Fusion News
14    Bill Gates TerraPower
15    Nuclear Waste Management 2025
16    Centrus Energy (LEU)
17    Nuclear Tax Credits (IRA / Trump Admin)
18    Amazon X-energy Deal
19    Thorium Reactors
20    NRC Licensing Process
21    Molten Salt Reactors (MSR)
22    Diablo Canyon Extension
23    Uranium ETFs
24    Micro-reactors for Remote Sites
25    Nuclear Workforce Jobs

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Top 25 Search Terms on Google ( Searches) for the Global Commercial Nuclear Energy Industry in 2025

Note to Readers – the full spreadsheet includes Google’s identification of the context of the ranking, e.g., what were the drivers of user searches. Full Spreadsheet of Top 25 Global Trends

Rank    Topic

1    Small Modular Reactors (SMR)
2    China Nuclear Expansion
3    AI Data Center Energy
4    Uranium Spot Price
5    Rosatom Global Projects
6    France “Nouveau Nucléaire”
7    Czech Dukovany Contract
8    Hualong One (HPR1000)
9    Canada SMR Projects
10    Nuclear Fusion Progress
11    Floating Nuclear Power
12    Poland Nuclear Program
13    South Korea Energy Export
14    Chernobyl Safety / Drone News
15    Uranium Mining Stocks
16    Nuclear Desalination
17    Sizewell C Investment
18    Net Zero 2050 Strategy
19    Nuclear Waste Management
20    Bangladesh Rooppur Plant
21    High-Assay LEU (HALEU)
22    Hydrogen Production (Nuclear)
23    Molten Salt Reactors (MSR)
24    Ukraine Zaporizhzhia Safety
25    Nuclear-Powered Shipping

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