Have we seen Microsoft actually put any skin in the game yet? All the pre-purchase announcements are virtually risk free for Microsoft. They've agreed to buy a certain amount of power at a certain price, if the counter-party can deliver it. But they're not pre-paying, they only pay when the electricity gets delivered. If they never deliver, Microsoft isn't out any money.

I'm halfway certain it's for political optics.

I'm intensely pro nuclear. But the tech is still in the stables. We need research into driving down costs. In the meantime, we need to think harder about where we're putting datacentres and how we can, if not make power cheaper for average Americans, at least not raise its real cost.

It’s a smart move on their part. It’s also a way for VC/investors to have some concrete value prop in their math. Aka if x works, I’d get at least y return (where y is guaranteed to not be zero)

The Gates Foundation has heavily invested in Thorium salt reactors.

There're 0 new reactors being built in the USA currently. Not Microsofts fault obviously, but then again what's the point of these articles?