NANO Nuclear Energy Inc (NNE) shares soared 5.30% in pre-market trading on Wednesday, outperforming the broader market. The stock's rally comes amid a growing optimism surrounding the nuclear energy sector, driven by the immense energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers.

While there was no company-specific news that directly impacted NNE, the nuclear energy industry as a whole received a boost after Oklo, a nuclear startup backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman, announced a major deal with data center operator Switch. Oklo signed an agreement to provide up to 12 gigawatts of energy to Switch through 2044, highlighting the increasing demand for nuclear power from tech giants and data center operators.

The nuclear revival has been fueled by the rising energy needs of AI and cloud computing, as companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta seek reliable and sustainable energy sources to power their data centers. With the rapid growth of AI and machine learning, the energy demands of these data centers are expected to surge, making nuclear energy an attractive option for its consistent baseload power generation.