As countries in Africa seek to develop their Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem, through building data centres, expanding digital services and participating in the global AI economy, nuclear energy could provide the reliable power needed to power these systems.
Experts have indicated that to keep AI’s digital infrastructure running around the clock, reliable and strong power is needed.
Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of North-West University and a nuclear energy expert, believes the relationship between the two technologies could be particularly important for Africa. For him, “it is a match made in heaven.”
Justifying this position, he explains that AI is becoming increasingly electricity-intensive. Training sophisticated models, processing enormous volumes of data and operating hyperscale data centres require power not only in large quantities, but continuously.
This presents a major challenge for Africa, where unreliable electricity remains a constraint on businesses, industries and digital infrastructure.
Prof. Tyobeka argues that Africa’s AI conversation cannot stop at algorithms, data scientists and computers. The continent must also ask where the electricity to power its AI ambitions will come from.
He therefore maintains that there is a need for more electricity to immediately accompany advances in artificial intelligence. He further emphasized that “We do not only need electricity; we need clean electricity.”
For him, this is where nuclear power enters the equation. Unlike electricity sources dependent on sunshine or wind conditions, nuclear plants can provide firm, round-the-clock power. This makes them particularly attractive for data centres, which cannot simply switch off because the sun has set or the wind has stopped blowing.
The opportunity, he adds, could extend beyond traditional large nuclear plants. Prof. Tyobeka points to small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors, which could potentially be deployed closer to data centres, mines and industrial hubs.
“SMRs and microreactors are particularly well suited because their size allows them to be deployed almost anywhere. They can be built in factories,” he said.
For Africa, this could create a different model of digital development. Instead of building an AI data centre and then struggling to secure enough electricity for it, countries could begin planning energy and digital infrastructure as one investment proposition.
Reliable nuclear-generated electricity could support data centres while simultaneously powering mining operations, mineral processing, manufacturing, hydrogen production and other energy-intensive industries.
The nuclear energy expert says this is significant for a continent seeking to move beyond exporting raw materials. A mine powered by dependable electricity can potentially do more than extract minerals. It can support processing and industrial activity around the mine, creating opportunities for jobs, businesses and higher-value production.
Prof. Tyobeka therefore sees the nuclear-AI relationship as part of a much larger African development story.
The relationship is also potentially two-way. While nuclear power could provide the electricity AI needs, AI could help nuclear operators design, monitor, and maintain plants more efficiently.
Artificial intelligence could assist with detecting anomalies, predictive maintenance, and digital simulations that allow operators to identify potential problems before equipment fails.
In other words, nuclear could power AI, while AI helps power the future and safety of nuclear energy.
