What you need to know about AI’s power demands, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), and why it matters for your kingdom stewardship
You’ve probably seen the headlines recently. Microsoft is restarting Three Mile Island’s nuclear reactor. Amazon just bought a nuclear-powered data center. Google’s investing heavily in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)—a new generation of compact, factory-built nuclear power plants.
And you’re probably wondering: What does this have to do with ChatGPT, what are SMRs, and why should Christians care?
The Hidden Cost of Every AI Conversation
Here’s something most people don’t realize: every time you ask ChatGPT a question, it takes significant energy to generate your answer. Not like charging your phone—more like powering multiple homes simultaneously.
Traditional Google search just finds existing web pages and shows them to you, which is relatively simple. But AI is creating new content in real-time, analyzing your question, processing billions of parameters, and generating unique text word by word, all in seconds. That requires massive computational power, and massive computational power requires massive energy.
Consider the scale: a single AI query uses 10-30 times more energy than a traditional Google search. ChatGPT alone is estimated to use as much electricity as 175,000 U.S. homes every day. By 2030, experts predict that AI data centers could consume as much electricity as an entire country the size of Sweden. This is why tech companies are scrambling for power solutions—the existing electrical grid simply can’t keep up with AI’s appetite.
Why Nuclear? The SMR Revolution
You might be wondering why companies aren’t just building more solar panels or wind turbines. Here’s the challenge: AI data centers need three things that solar and wind can’t consistently provide.
First, they need always-on power. AI doesn’t sleep, and data centers run around the clock. The sun sets and the wind stops blowing, but nuclear reactors run continuously for years without stopping. When billions of people depend on these services for work, education, and ministry, reliability matters.
Second, they need massive scale in small spaces. A single nuclear reactor can power hundreds of thousands of homes from a relatively compact facility. To generate the same power with solar panels would require covering entire cities.
Third, they need carbon-free baseload power. Unlike coal or natural gas, nuclear power produces zero carbon emissions during operation, making it one of the few viable options for powering AI at scale.
What Are SMRs? The Game-Changing Technology
This is where Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) become the game-changer that’s making headlines. SMRs are a completely different approach to nuclear power than the massive plants most people picture.
Unlike traditional nuclear plants that take a decade to build and cost billions, SMRs are factory-built, truck-delivered units that can power a single data center or facility. Think of them as “personal nuclear power plants” for major installations—compact, standardized, and deployable wherever power is needed.
Here’s what’s actually happening:
- Google recently ordered multiple SMRs from Kairos Power for its data centers
- Amazon is backing X-energy’s SMR development and has already secured a nuclear-powered data center
- Microsoft negotiated a dedicated reactor at Three Mile Island specifically for AI workloads
These aren’t massive city-powering plants. They’re right-sized power sources that can be deployed where AI computing happens, dramatically reducing transmission losses and infrastructure costs. Each SMR unit can be installed in months rather than years, scaled up as needed, and located right next to the data center it powers.
This shift represents a fundamental change in energy infrastructure, and it’s happening because AI’s power demands are forcing innovation in ways that traditional energy usage never did. When you see headlines about tech companies and nuclear power, they’re talking about SMRs.
Understanding the AI Ecosystem: Why This Matters for Christians
Now, why am I—a guy who helps Christians use AI —talking about nuclear power? Because understanding how AI works helps you become an informed steward instead of a confused consumer.
AI isn’t magic, and it’s not spiritual. It’s infrastructure: massive data centers filled with specialized chips, raw materials mined from the earth (silicon, lithium, rare earth elements), enormous amounts of energy to power those chips, water for cooling systems, internet infrastructure to connect it all, and human knowledge to train the models.
When you understand this, you realize that AI is part of God’s physical creation being used for human innovation. It’s silicon, electricity, and code—and that changes how we engage with it.
A Christian Stewardship Perspective
“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” – Psalm 24:1 (NIV)
What strikes me about the AI energy story is how it reveals the interconnectedness of God’s creation. The AI tool helping you save time is powered by nuclear fission discovered by God’s design in atomic structure, water flowing through cooling systems, minerals extracted from mountains He formed, and engineers and technicians made in His image. Every query is using God’s resources.
Does that make AI wrong? Absolutely not. But it does make us accountable for how we use it. Here are three practical stewardship principles:
Use AI intentionally, not wastefully. If every AI query uses significant energy, let’s make our questions count. Use AI for meaningful work—Bible study, planning, helping others—not just entertainment or lazy shortcuts. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23, ESV)
Understand what you’re participating in. When Christians engage with AI, we’re participating in a massive global industry. Informed participation is wiser than ignorant consumption. Paul worked as a tentmaker and understood the marketplace of his day. We should understand our digital marketplace too. “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16, ESV)
Multiply kingdom impact with saved time. If AI helps you cut a task down to 45 minutes instead of 3 hours, what are you doing with those 2 hours and 15 minutes? More prayer? Family time? Outreach? Rest? The goal isn’t just efficiency—it’s kingdom multiplication. The energy being used to power AI should ultimately lead to more time for eternal things.
What This Means for You Practically
When you see headlines about tech companies buying nuclear power plants or investing in SMRs to run AI, here’s what it means for your daily life:
Ask better questions. Instead of “Tell me about the book of Philippians,” try “Based on what was going on in Philippi and Paul’s heart, help me understand Philippians 4:6-7, for today and help me structure “how can I apply this verse in my life today and this situation I am currently dealing with.” Get more value from the energy being used.
Batch your AI work. Rather than having 20 short, scattered conversations, have one focused session where you accomplish several related tasks. It’s more efficient use of resources.
Use AI to save time for people. If AI helps you write that difficult email in 5 minutes instead of 45, spend those 40 minutes actually connecting with someone who needs encouragement.
Follow the story and teach others. When you see news about AI, SMRs, and energy, you’ll understand what’s happening and why. Help your kids understand that technology isn’t magic—it’s engineering, resources, and stewardship. When church friends say they’re afraid of AI, help them see it’s infrastructure, not sorcery. Understanding demystifies fear.
The Economic Opportunity
Here’s something most Christians aren’t thinking about yet: this massive SMR and AI infrastructure buildout represents economic opportunity. Companies building Small Modular Reactors (like Kairos Power and X-energy), manufacturing AI chips, constructing data centers, mining rare earth elements, and developing cooling systems—many of these are publicly traded companies you can research and potentially invest in.
I’m not a financial advisor, so do your own research and pray for wisdom. But consider this question: What if Christians were economically positioned in the technologies shaping the future? Not to get rich, but to be informed stewards who understand what’s happening, where resources are flowing, and how to participate wisely in God’s economy. “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.” (Proverbs 21:20, NIV)
But God…
Let me be crystal clear about something: none of this AI infrastructure matters for your spiritual growth. Not one bit. You don’t need ChatGPT to know Jesus. The Holy Spirit isn’t impressed by nuclear-powered data centers. God’s Word is sufficient, living, and active—no algorithm required.
But God has placed you in this moment in history, in 2025, when AI is reshaping work, education, ministry, and daily life. Just like believers in every generation had to understand the major innovations of their time—the printing press, electricity, the internet—you have the opportunity to understand AI. Not because it’s spiritual, but because you’re called to be wise stewards of everything God has given you, including your time, your understanding, and your participation in the world He’s placed you in.
The Bottom Line
Tech companies are buying nuclear power plants and investing heavily in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) because AI requires massive, reliable, carbon-free energy that can be deployed right where the computing happens. SMRs are the breakthrough technology making this possible—factory-built, compact, and scalable in ways traditional nuclear plants never were.
You’re using AI for Bible study, family devotionals, and work emails—powered by this same infrastructure. Understanding this doesn’t make you less spiritual. It makes you a more informed steward. Use AI intentionally. Save time for kingdom work. Teach others what you’re learning. Participate wisely in God’s economy. And always remember: The tool is powerful, but the Spirit is sufficient.
Tech in hand. Jesus in heart.
Want to Go Deeper?
This blog post is just the beginning. The AI ecosystem includes companies, infrastructure, economics, raw materials, and opportunities most Christians don’t know exist yet.
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Questions or Comments?
How does understanding AI’s energy requirements change how you think about using these tools? Drop a comment below or email me at info@biblemorning.com.
Let’s learn this together.
Bible Morning
Servant of Jesus Christ
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Sources & Further Reading:
- International Energy Agency: “Electricity 2024 – Analysis and Forecast to 2026”
- MIT Technology Review: “The Energy Cost of AI”
- Bloomberg: “Amazon, Google, Microsoft Race to Power AI with Nuclear Energy”
- U.S. Department of Energy: Nuclear Power and Climate Goals
Bible Morning is committed to accuracy. All factual claims in this post have been verified against multiple reputable sources. Scripture quotations are from the ESV and NIV translations.
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