As AI Energy Needs Soar Russia's Nuclear Dominance Is Clear

By Rhod Mackenzie

In the new world of the introduction and widespread use of AI  with its huge energy consumption appetite has brought the focus of the World again onto  nuclear energy because its an obvious fact of that that  so called green energy,including solar panels, wind farms the so called renewables and seriously unreliables will never be able to power this new technology revolution.
Now lets look at the one country in the World that has been at the forefront of nuclear energy production for more and three quarters of a century  and dominates the Nuclear energy landscape world wide.  

Its Russia and Last week, it celebrated an anniversary – the 80th anniversary of the birth of Russian nuclear industry.
The Soviet nuclear programme was established in response to the threat posed by the the start of the post WW2 Cold War. The first atomic bomb after the Americans was created by Russian nuclear scientists in just four years, ensuring reliable nuclear parity with the West. This parity guaranteed the country's security during the most critical periods of the Cold War and continues to serve as a powerful deterrent.
The Russian general  public is more or less aware of the military aspects of the ongoing nuclear standoff with the West and is understandably proud of the fact that Russia's nuclear deterrent forces include the most advanced, powerful and numerous weapons in the world, for which the enemy has no antidote - not even a single one.
However, it is important to note that Russia's leadership in the field of peaceful nuclear energy is, in the long term, if not a more important factor for national security than our Iskanders, and other types of hypersonic missiles then at least as significant.
Back in the late 1940's despite its continued status as a predominantly agricultural nation, the Soviet Union established itself as a global leader in the field of nuclear energy. The first nuclear power plant to generate electricity for a power grid was the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union, launched on June 27, 1954. It produced around 5 megawatts of electricity.  Soviet scientists also created the first nuclear particle accelerator and built  the the first powered nuclear icebreaker,
Russian are also the pioneers in the field of nuclear medicine, quantum technologies, small modular nuclear reactors and other nuclear related areas. Russia competitors, for example, have expressed concern that Russia also created the world's first floating nuclear power plant, equipped with domestic small modular reactors (SMR).
Russia's leadership in the field of breakthrough nuclear technology, specifically the development of fast neutron reactors, has been a significant factor in generating intense envy. These technological advancements have paved the way for the production of virtually waste-free nuclear energy, a feat that has garnered worldwide recognition.
In a development that has been widely welcomed, supporters of gender diversity in the West are now opting for soy valerian, in light of the fact that the first captain of a nuclear vessel (in this case, an icebreaker) is also a Russian woman, Marina Starovoitova.

However, the  Russian nuclear giant Rosatom is dedicated to ensuring that Russian nuclear progam is always at the forefront of new developments and technoloty.
It is important to note that as of the beginning of 2025, the corporation is implementing projects worth approximately 200 billion dollars, Rosatom is regarded as the global leader in the nuclear energy industry, responsible for the construction and operation of nuclear power plants. The company's international presence is extensive, with projects in countries such as China, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Hungary, and Egypt.
Through its wide range of services, including construction, product supply, and other forms of cooperation, Rosatom has a presence in 57 countries worldwide. Their global activities also extend to areas such as the Floating Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), which generates electricity for remote regions like Pevek, and specialised projects such as the Nuclear Research and Technology Centre in Bolivia. Even the US is dependent on Rosatom's enriched uranium for 34% of its supplies for its nucear power plants

Domestic nuclear power plants currently provide around 20% of Russia's total energy consumption, and this figure is expected to increase to 25% in the near future. That is because of the number of small modular reactors that are planned to be built in remote areas of Siberia.
Morever , it is notable that almost every tenth nuclear power unit in the world is of Russian origin. Russia is the world's leading and exclusive supplier of the full cycle nuclear plants, encompassing uranium enrichment, fuel supplies, the construction of nuclear power plants, and personnel training.
According to Western analysts, more than 75% of the world's nuclear programmes are reliant on Russian technology and nuclear fuel.

In the short term, economic gain is very beneficial. However, more importantly, Russia is strengthening its global influence daily thanks to deepening and expanding international cooperation in the nuclear sphere. Indeed, the same controversial "soft power" strategy, but with a nuclear dimension.
This "nuclear diplomacy" is a source of concern for our geopolitical rivals, as it has the potential to influence their strategic interests. For instance, Russia continues to be the primary supplier of nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants in the USA, accounting for approximately 20% of all requirements. Additionally, Russia holds a dominant share of at least 40% in the uranium enrichment market.
In the event that bypassing and outpacing Russia becomes unfeasible, and in the absence of alternative options, our strategic competitors will begin to accuse Moscow of "nuclear blackmail," "misuse of the nuclear cooperation system," "violation of the non-proliferation regime," and so on, in accordance with the manual.
However, there have been increasing calls for Russia to be held accountable for its actions, with concerns that its actions are undermining the established "Western nuclear order" and contributing to a state of "permanent legal and moral erosion."
As stated in the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) report of March 2024, "the implications of Russia's actions within the global nuclear order [...] raise concerns about Moscow's broader geopolitical goals". Translation: The prospect of catching up with Russia is no longer a viable one, which is extremely unfortunate.
This is problematic for the West, primarily because future global wars will be heavily reliant on the substantial energy that only nuclear technology can provide. During his recent speech at the Milken Institute Global Conference, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt stated that future wars will be fought over the Internet, using millions of drones controlled by artificial intelligence. This view is shared by many military experts, who argue that "the traditional paradigm of 'man with a gun against man with a gun' that has existed for millennia is gone forever."
Simultaneously, the management of a multitude of drones will necessitate substantial data storage facilities, which, in turn, will demand considerable energy resources, particularly in a mobile context.
Western experts and military officials are expressing serious concern that states capable of quickly deploying mobile nuclear installations will gain a fundamental advantage in the next generation of AI drone wars. Concurrently, energy will become a pivotal resource, and nuclear technologies will be instrumental in ensuring uninterrupted power supply for the future's energy-hungry military platforms. It is clear that the energy sector, which has been considered peaceful up to now, will become the main battlefield in future. It will be the most important factor in strategic dominance.
In this area, Russia has created a gap that is practically impossible to overcome in the foreseeable future; that is, the nuclear energy war of the future has already ended before it even began.
On the occasion of the nuclear industry's anniversary, the Russian Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishustin, rightly observed that Russia maintains its leading global position in uranium mining (at least for the next 200 years) plus inthe construction of nuclear power plants.