TerraPower’s Nuclear Reactor Edge for AI Data Centers

TerraPower is positioning its nuclear power technology for AI data centers, where always-available electricity is increasingly valuable. TechCrunch reports that the Bill Gates-founded startup plans to announce its first data center project this year, citing Bloomberg. The customer was not identified in the article.

AI data centers can see power demand sink and soar quickly as GPUs train models or respond to prompts. That creates a challenge for power plants that are most economical when operating steadily at high output. TechCrunch notes that nuclear reactors have a high U.S. capacity factor, but existing reactors are slow to ramp output up or down, while newer SMRs may ramp faster but still face business pressure to run near peak capacity.

TerraPower’s advantage, according to the report, is energy storage built into its reactor system. Its 345-megawatt molten salt-cooled reactor can keep producing heat while extra heat is stored in molten sodium. When demand rises, the plant can use that stored heat to make more steam and spin turbines, helping the reactor respond to shifting demand without constantly changing the reactor’s output.

The design could help TerraPower pair nuclear power’s steady output with flexibility that data centers and renewable-heavy grids need. The article says TerraPower’s first plant is already under construction in Wyoming, while the planned data center project would be its second power plant and is expected to break ground in 2027. TechCrunch also notes that Meta agreed in January to buy eight of TerraPower’s Natrium power plants.