The US is advancing towards integrating nuclear power with datacenter operations as a consortium sets plans to establish nuclear-backed facilities at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for the Department of Energy (DoE). This initiative is a pivotal move in co-locating datacenters with energy generation solutions on federal lands. Taking the lead is Deep Atomic, which has proposed creating the nation’s inaugural nuclear-powered AI and HPC datacenter cluster at INL. Currently, facilities like the Cumulus data center operate adjacent to atomic plants, with future expansions aiming for integrated nuclear facilities.

Deep Atomic partners include energy experts from Paragon Energy Solutions and datacenter specialists like Future-tech, backed by AI infrastructure firm Moonlite. Adding depth to the project is real estate firm Clayco, tasked with overseeing planning that aligns design and functionality for AI-centric high-density workloads.

If given a green light, construction will be systematically initiated. Initial operations of the datacenter are expected under existing power infrastructures at INL, while the MK60 Small Modular Reactor (SMR) completes its design validation. Upon its fruition, Deep Atomic’s MK60 promises enhanced power and cooling solutions tailored specifically for AI and high-performance computing needs in datacenters.

The project underscores the complexity and ambition in merging nuclear technology with modern data needs, amid optimistic projections of seeing an operational SMR by mid-2026, aligning with federal energy objectives to foster AI and nuclear synergies.