Meta Taps Oklo for 1.2 Gigawatt Nuclear Campus to Fuel AI Operations

2026-01-09 companies

Pike County, Friday, 9 January 2026.
Meta secures its AI future by funding Oklo’s massive 1.2-gigawatt nuclear campus in Ohio, a strategic prepayment deal designed to bring advanced clean energy online by 2030.

Securing Critical Infrastructure for AI

On Thursday, January 8, 2026, Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO) and Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: META) formalized a definitive agreement to construct a massive power campus in Pike County, Ohio [1][2]. The initiative aims to deploy Oklo’s Aurora powerhouses to generate up to 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, specifically targeting the energy needs of Meta’s data centers, including the Prometheus AI supercluster in New Albany [1][3]. To secure this development, Meta has committed to prepaying for power and providing capital to ensure project certainty, a financial mechanism that allows Oklo to immediately advance Phase 1 of the project and secure necessary nuclear fuel [1][2].

Timeline and Operational Scale

The operational timeline for this ambitious project is set to unfold over the next decade. Pre-construction activities and site characterization are scheduled to commence in 2026, with the initial phase of power generation targeted to come online as early as 2030 [2]. Following this initial deployment, the facility is designed to expand incrementally, reaching its full 1.2 GW capacity by 2034 [2]. This deployment is situated on approximately 83 hectares (over 200 acres) of land formerly owned by the Department of Energy, which Oklo purchased with the facilitation of the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative [2].

Strategic Expansion of Nuclear Capacity

This partnership with Oklo represents a significant fraction of Meta’s broader strategy to secure reliable, carbon-free baseload power. The 1.2 GW Oklo commitment accounts for approximately 18.182% of the 6.6 GW in total nuclear energy generation Meta aims to add to the grid by 2035 through concurrent deals with Vistra and TerraPower [3][6]. By securing agreements with these three companies, Meta positions itself as the largest buyer of nuclear power among its hyperscaler peers, addressing the intense energy demands required to maintain leadership in artificial intelligence innovation [7].

Market Context and Leadership

The announcement of these deals on January 8 prompted a positive market reaction, sending shares of both Oklo and Vistra higher in early trading on Friday [5]. Oklo, which went public in 2024 via a special purpose acquisition company, has notable backing from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who served as chairman until April 2025 and retains a 4.3% stake in the company valued at approximately $650 million [3].

Sources

Data Centers Nuclear Energy