Building a future in which AI and energy advance, together

The first time I stepped inside a data center, it was like experiencing the beating heart of the digital world. The physical infrastructure and technology are, in and of themselves, wonderous. Even more striking, however, is the sheer amount of energy required to power every calculation, every machine, every system.

Earlier in January, NVIDIA and Intel announced the launch of next-generation AI chips, including one, Intel’s, made entirely in the United States. These breakthroughs are incredible milestones in the AI race—but even though they boast even greater efficiency, they still point to a truth we are only just beginning to grapple with: The digital revolution is, at its core, an energy revolution.

Data centers depend on energy—a broad portfolio of secure, reliable, affordable, abundant energy. Without it, the revolutionary, life-changing potential of AI cannot come to fruition, and our competitive advantage evaporates.

The country that wins the energy race will ultimately win the AI race.

Energy tradition

In the College of Engineering, we’ve been on the leading edge of energy innovation for decades. For going on a half-century, for example, our internationally renowned Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium has brought pioneering advances in electric machines, power converters and controls to industries worldwide—while for the last eight decades, our acclaimed Engine Research Center has pushed the boundaries of internal combustion engines, yielding deep scientific understanding, groundbreaking technologies, and cleaner, more efficient diesel and gas engines. From the early 1970s, our Fusion Technology Institute was a leader in fusion energy research, education and technology development—contributing tools and expertise that solved critical fusion energy challenges nationally and internationally.

In fact, at more than 60 years old, our nuclear engineering program is among the best in the nation, with historic strengths in both fission and fusion research and a second-to-none education that has produced scores of national and global energy leaders.

Twenty years ago, we founded the Wisconsin Energy Institute—today a collaborative, transdisciplinary home for energy research and education at UW-Madison. We’ve continued to build on a community at the university that includes more than 75 faculty whose work focuses on or applies directly to fusion technology. And over the past five years, we’ve recruited extraordinary faculty in fusion and fission—including a recent MacArthur “genius” grant recipient and the nation’s first U.S. Department of State fusion energy science envoy—to tackle the toughest challenges in nuclear energy science, technology, policy, security, materials, systems and more. 

Collective support

Here in Wisconsin, this program has the confidence and support of our state government, which recognizes its potential in workforce development and in meeting energy demands driven by AI data centers. “Our state is equipped with the strong research and manufacturing sectors needed to lead on this revolutionary technology,” wrote Wisconsin Sen. Julian Bradley in a January 2025 press release.

We’re also translating our research discoveries in nuclear into transformative companies that create jobs and drive economic growth in our region. Launched by our students, staff, faculty and alumni, three such ventures are changing the energy game: SHINE Technologies in Janesville, Wisconsin; and Realta Fusion and Type One Energy, both here in Madison. These spinoffs are proof that ideas born in our labs can power real-world solutions—supported by a campus entrepreneurship ecosystem that includes the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub and our own Badger Tech Foundry.

National priority

In November 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy launched its Office of Fusion. Almost at the same time, the White House announced the DOE-led Genesis Mission, which will create an advanced, integrated AI-powered platform to accelerate U.S. scientific discovery and innovation.

Future-ready fission and fusion technologies, along with a robust energy grid, are critical to its success. We’re pioneers in each area. But here’s what excites me most: Right now, we can lead the way in building a fusion center that drives both energy security and economic vitality. We’re already the founding academic partner in the Great Lakes Fusion Energy Alliance, which aims to accelerate the development and commercialization of this rapidly advancing technology. Capitalizing on the momentum, infrastructure, expertise and thought leadership in our region, an outstanding next step in the national effort to realize fusion energy would be for the Department of Energy to create a regional fusion accelerator hub.

An investment that matters

We have the talent, the research, the partnerships, and importantly, public trust. At a moment when citizens of our country are questioning the utility of universities, that confidence matters deeply to us. I’m proud of how we turn that trust into action that matters: work that ensures a future where technology and energy advance hand in hand, creating solutions that make life better for everyone. As Stephanie Diem, one of our rising faculty stars in nuclear, said during testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives in September 2025: “Fusion offers the potential to renew and strengthen America’s traditional industrial base. Investment in the development of fusion energy supports local, regional and statewide economic growth by revitalizing industries, creating jobs and strengthening wages and incomes.”

Our nation’s leadership in AI begins with a strong energy future. UW-Madison is uniquely poised to help advance that transformation. Inspired and guided by Wisconsin’s state motto—FORWARD—we’re pushing nuclear forward, so the next great American energy revolution can start right here.