TerraPower to Unveil 345-MW AI Data Center Project This Year, Using Nuclear Storage Design
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Aug 19
TerraPower to Unveil 345-MW AI Data Center Project This Year, Using Nuclear Storage Design
3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Aug 19
Summary
TerraPower plans to announce its first AI data center project this year, with the plant expected to break ground in 2027 as the company’s second nuclear facility.
Its 345-megawatt Natrium design targets a core data-center problem: sharply fluctuating power demand that strains conventional generation and often requires costly battery banks.
Rather than ramping the reactor itself, TerraPower stores excess heat in molten sodium and releases it when demand spikes, letting the plant run near full output while delivering flexible power.
That setup could give TerraPower an edge over other nuclear startups because reactors typically run best at steady output, and early small modular plants remain expensive to build.
The project extends a broader push to sell nuclear power to AI infrastructure, after TerraPower said in January that Meta agreed to buy eight Natrium plants.