Hyperscalers have recently made big moves to secure enough power for their data centers. While renewable sources are preferable, there is not enough capacity to feed the next generation of “AI datacenters” on the drawing board.  Using fossil fuels is possible but not desirable or sustainable. That leaves nuclear power as the best medium-term solution.

HPCwire has been following the surge in data center growth, largely due to AI and including HPC, and because most of these existing data centers in cities, university campuses, and nearby locations are running out of local power options. One of the questions that keep getting asked is where will you get the power for your warehouse full of GPUs. In our analysis, if the growth of HPC and AI continues, and we think it will, nuclear power option must be factored into this equation.

Log scales not withstanding, the fuel density of Uranium has been cleverly illustrated by xkcd. The “limitless” supply and clean benefits of properly engineered nuclear power are hard to ignore when data centers with an appetite for over 100 MW of power are expected to become common.

In a recent HPC Debrief interview with James Walker, CEO of Nano Nuclear, we discussed portable nuclear reactors and many of the issue facing the modern day nuclear power industry — including safety.

Consider Pennsylvania, home of the infamous Three Mile Island nuclear plant. Recently, it was announced that Microsoft has signed a 20-year deal to restart Unit 1 which is adjacent but separate from Unit 2, which has a partial melt-down in 1979 and is in the process of being decommissioned.

Prior to Microsoft’s purchase, AWS acquired the Cumulus data center complex, located next to the 2.5 gigawatts Susquehanna nuclear power station in Pennsylvania, as part of a $650 million deal with Talen Energy.

In a recent announcement the nuclear power option just received a huge boost as the industry announced fourteen Major Global Banks and Financial Institutions expressing support to triple nuclear energy by 2050. Speaking at the Net Zero Nuclear Forum, Dr Sama Bilbao y León, Director General World Nuclear Association, said:

“I welcome today’s announcement from leaders in the global finance community who publicly pledged their support to the ambition to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050. Now we need to see today’s commitment translate to changes in lending policies and greater access for nuclear to sustainable finance mechanisms. Nuclear offers investors long-term returns and a means of tackling the world’s urgent and growing need for abundant, affordable, 24/7 clean energy. Today was a major step forward.  Meeting the goal of tripling nuclear output will require the commitment and ingenuity of policymakers, financial leaders, the nuclear industry, and many others in a coalition of the ambitious.”

Perhaps the big news here is that the AI revolution has partly provided a market incentive to push nuclear power to the top of the energy sources list. Like most energy investments, nuclear takes a log term commitment, planning, and now available cash. Interestingly, the move to nuclear, largely due to GPUs, may actually be a fork in the road for worldwide energy policy.