Artificial intelligence and high-performance computing are fueling an unprecedented surge in electricity demand. By 2030, U.S. data centers could consume up to 9% of the nation’s electricity generation, according to an EPRI white paper issued in 2024. By now, we all know that AI-driven load growth is reshaping grid planning, and the question isn’t whether we need more power; it’s how to deliver it reliably and sustainably. Nuclear power offers an option for scalability, reliability, and zero-carbon generation, making it a potential key strategic enabler for the digital economy.
EPRI regularly convenes voices representing data centers, utilities, national laboratories, insurance companies, design firms, and technology developers to explore how nuclear power can provide the next generation of energy resilience for data-intensive industries. Here are several key insights from our recent workshop on this topic, hosted by EPRI’s Nuclear Beyond Electricity initiative:
Amidst the constant change driven by AI hardware and demand profiles, there is a strong, shared commitment to closing gaps in nuclear deployment timelines and integration.
Ongoing pivotal policy and regulatory developments, including DOE initiatives, underscore the need for predictable frameworks for nuclear-data center partnerships and are helping to accelerate the deployment of zero-carbon emitting, reliable nuclear power.
We continue to prioritize research solutions to address AI compute-related power quality issues, evaluate direct connections to nuclear power plants, and integrate cooling concepts. Findings from a recent EPRI-published study showed limited economic feasibility for steam absorption chillers currently, but other applications, including thermal energy storage integration, AI-driven siting tools, and load burst impact assessments, are advancing rapidly.
Our future research work will include concepts for transitioning from currently deployed natural gas plants to nuclear-powered data centers to support global warming goals.
The industry’s collective expertise is powerful and growing. Working together, we are well-positioned to meet the demands of today and, perhaps more importantly, to anticipate and direct nuclear integration for the data centers of the future.
Participants agreed on several priorities around the adoption of nuclear energy to support data centers. These will require close collaboration among utilities, developers, regulators, and technology providers:
Nuclear-powered microgrids for resilience
Optimized cooling water strategies
Clear interconnection frameworks to accelerate deployment
As I emphasized to the group at this workshop’s conclusion, the work we’re doing today will define how data centers and nuclear power plants operate together in the decades ahead.
More information on EPRI’s research in this area is available in a recent EPRI report, A Guide for Co-locating Data Centers with Nuclear Plants.