In a moment that may mark a turning point for both the energy industry and the technology sector, Google has entered into a partnership with a Southern Company subsidiary to secure nuclear-generated electricity — a quiet but consequential acknowledgment that the clean energy future requires more than wind and sun. The agreement, announced in September 2026, reflects a deepening tension at the heart of the digital age: the more intelligent our machines become, the more power they demand, and the more that power must be both constant and clean. What was once a fringe position — that nuclear ener