TerraPower’s nuclear reactor has a secret weapon for powering AI data centers
TerraPower is developing nuclear reactors that utilize energy storage to provide consistent power for AI data centers. By integrating thermal storage, the company aims to overcome the limitations of traditional nuclear plants that struggle to ramp power output up or down quickly.
Why it matters
As AI data centers demand massive amounts of reliable electricity, nuclear energy is being positioned as a key solution to meet these energy needs sustainably.
Nuclear power startups have been pitching themselves as the antidote to what ails AI data centers: power that’s always available. Bill Gates-founded TerraPower is one of the latest to throw its hat that into that ring, with Bloomberg reporting that the startup plans to announce its first data center project this year.
TerraPower did not say who the customer will be, though in January, it announced that Meta had agreed to buy eight of its Natrium power plants. The data center project, expected to break ground in 2027, would be the company’s second power plant, with its first already under construction in Wyoming.
Not every nuclear reactor is suited to data center duty, but TerraPower possesses one key advantage — energy storage — that promises to give it an edge over competitors. And it’s all thanks to renewable power sources like wind and solar.
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