Meta Platforms Inc.’s flashy deal this week for nuclear power was just the latest sign of the technology industry’s need for more energy — and fast. And while the top US reactor companies are eager to sign more contracts,

Meta announced Tuesday morning that it was paying billions of dollars to keep an Illinois nuclear power plant running through 2047.

Meta Platforms (META -0.54%) is building artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that have the power to transform the global economy. This powerful technology requires a tremend