The AI Energy Crisis Is Real. Here Are 2 Stocks Positioned to Profit in 2026.

There's an energy crisis on the horizon, and it's mostly due to artificial intelligence (AI). The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects in its baseline model that energy consumption from data centers is set to double worldwide by the end of the decade.

In the U.S., data centers are set to consume between 6.7% and 12% of all energy produced by 2028, according to some stats. The MIT Technology Review reports that by the end of 2028, AI could consume the same amount of electricity as 22% of all American households combined.

What's the solution? Put simply, it's to generate more electricity, which is much easier said than done. However, the U.S. government and big tech companies seem to have arrived at the conclusion that nuclear energy is likely the best bet to solve the AI power crunch.

The U.S. Department of Energy has set a goal to triple America's nuclear energy production by the middle of the century. Tech companies, namely Microsoft and Alphabet, are investing serious money in resuscitating decommissioned nuclear power plants.

Each has collaborated with a nuclear plant operator, and those nuclear partners are worth a look.

Image source: Getty Images.

Constellation Energy

Up first is Microsoft's partner: Baltimore-based Constellation Energy (NASDAQ: CEG).

Constellation is the country's largest producer of clean energy and produces 10% of America's emission-free power through its nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, and solar plants. It's also the largest nuclear energy producer in the U.S.

Therefore, Constellation is a natural partner for Microsoft, which agreed to a 20-year power purchase agreement with Constellation in 2024. According to the agreement, Constellation will bring one of the reactors at Three Mile Island back online as the new Crane Clean Energy Center.

The agreement, which will likely see Microsoft paying roughly $110-$115 per megawatt hour over the next 20 years, also came with a $1 billion loan from the government to bring the plant back online.

Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms, signed a similar 20-year agreement shortly after the Microsoft deal to power its own data centers from Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois.

As a power provider, Constellation is unlikely to experience explosive growth, but it's a stable, steady-growing stock that can add a less volatile investment to your AI portfolio. In its update provided to investors this week, Constellation reported adjusted operating earnings increased to $9.39 per share in 2025, up from $8.67 per share in 2024. The company in November said it is expecting 13% or better adjusted operating earnings growth through 2030.

Constellation pays a dividend that, due to the run-up in share price over the past few years, yields only 0.5%, but the company has grown its dividend for the past three years running. With a payout ratio of 17%, it should have no problem paying it and has plenty of room to continue growing it, especially as it takes advantage of AI's need for power.

Give Constellation a look for a slow and steady dividend payer to balance out faster-growth, higher-volatility AI plays.

NextEra Energy

Florida's NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE) is another major player in America's nuclear landscape and also is set to continue profiting from government and big tech nuclear investments.

NextEra was tapped by Google parent company Alphabet to bring Iowa's Duane Arnold Energy Center, the state's only nuclear plant, back online. The deal will see Google purchase power from the facility for the next 25 years as it grows its cloud infrastructure in the area.

That makes three of the largest tech companies in America investing in nuclear energy production for their data centers. I expect more will follow.

On the financial end, NextEra recorded 13% adjusted EPS growth for 2025 over 2024. It expects to maintain an EPS compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8% over the next decade.

The company operates with higher margins than Constellation, with a gross margin of 62%, an operating margin of 29%, and a net margin of 19.4%. It has also grown its dividend for 30 years running and currently yields 2.4%.

However, NextEra's payout ratio is much higher than Constellation's at 70%. It's not in particularly dangerous territory yet, and has been much higher in the past. In 2023, for example, it hit 94%.

Both of these stocks can help you add a stable dividend-paying hedge to your AI portfolio as the government and tech companies work to alleviate the AI power crisis and are poised to profit this year.

James Hires has positions in Alphabet. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Constellation Energy, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and NextEra Energy. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.