nuclear power

Italy's Senate has given final approval to Giorgia Meloni's government's law establishing a new framework for producing nuclear energy, nearly four decades after the country abandoned nuclear power following the 1987 referendum. The government plans to focus on new-generation reactors, marking a major shift in Italy's energy policy after a long-standing ban.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for renewed negotiations among nuclear-weapon states as Kazakhstan marks 35 years since the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. He warned that global arms-control safeguards are weakening and urged world powers to re-engage in disarmament efforts. The appeal comes amid rising international tensions and growing concern over the erosion of nuclear arms-control frameworks.

The Trump administration is moving forward with a plan to supply plutonium from dismantled Cold War-era nuclear warheads to companies seeking to convert the material into fuel for nuclear power plants. The proposal has sparked debate and unease among experts and officials, who question the safety and wisdom of handling such dangerous material commercially.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said artificial intelligence is dangerous 'on the level of nuclear weapons', drawing fresh attention to debates over regulating rapidly advancing AI technology. The remarks from a prominent Democratic governor add to a growing chorus of political figures warning about the risks of powerful AI systems.

A multiplayer server experiment placed 100 people together with access to nuclear weapons, and the resulting chaos is drawing large audiences. Viewers are reacting to what happens when dozens of players are given devastating power at once, with the scenario sparking discussion about how quickly cooperation breaks down into betrayal and destruction in games.

Iran has entered a critical phase over its nuclear program, with reports that its leadership is actively debating withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The claim is accompanied by satellite imagery said to confirm ongoing activity at known nuclear sites. If Tehran were to leave the treaty, it would mark a major escalation in the standoff over its nuclear ambitions and deepen tensions with Western powers and the UN nuclear watchdog.

Bill Gates, speaking on Ezra Klein's podcast, said artificial intelligence's transformative power 'makes nuclear weapons look like nothing,' comparing the scale of AI's impact to the most fearsome technology of the twentieth century. His remarks are fueling debate about whether AI represents an opportunity or a civilizational risk on par with, or greater than, nuclear arms.

A startup is proposing to build a massive nuclear-powered data center on public land in Utah, according to NPR. The plan would pair energy-intensive computing infrastructure, likely for AI workloads, with its own nuclear power supply on federally managed terrain. It highlights growing demand for power-hungry data centers and raises questions about industrial development on public land in the state.

The US Naval Institute's Proceedings magazine has published a commentary titled 'How to Lose a Thermonuclear War' in its October 2026 issue (Vol. 152/10). The piece examines strategic missteps that could lead to catastrophe in a nuclear conflict, adding to ongoing debate among defense analysts about nuclear deterrence, escalation risks, and great-power war planning at a time of heightened global tensions.