As AI continues to drive exponential growth in data centers, ensuring adequate power supply has become a critical challenge.
Chatting with HPC CableJames Walker, CEO of Nano Nuclear Energy, explained how micro nuclear reactors could offer a viable solution. These small, portable reactors are designed to provide clean, safe and reliable power to meet the growing demands of data centres and other industries.
Nano Nuclear Energy is focused on developing microreactors that are compact enough to be transported by road, rail or sea. This mobility makes them ideal for remote locations, including data centers, which often require a large amount of power but have limited access to traditional energy sources. According to Walker, the company’s microreactors are designed to be plug-and-play, meaning they can be easily installed and removed with minimal infrastructure or on-site personnel.
Regulatory approval
The company’s microreactors are also designed with safety in mind. Unlike traditional nuclear power plants, which carry risks of overheating and core meltdown, these microreactors use advanced technology to ensure safe operation. Even in the event of total mechanical failure, the reactors are built to passively dissipate heat, preventing catastrophic outcomes. Walker noted that nuclear power is already the safest form of energy when measured in deaths per gigawatt hour, and safety is even greater with microreactors.
One of the most important challenges for the deployment of these reactors is regulatory approval.
Currently, nuclear regulations are strict, particularly regarding the transportation of fully loaded reactors. However, Walker noted that there are signs of potential regulatory changes that could make it easier to deploy microreactors. For example, the U.S. Department of Defense’s Project Pele is developing microreactors for military bases, which may help streamline the regulatory process for commercial use.
Nano Nuclear Energy is on track to have its first commercial microreactors ready by the early 2030s, with prototypes expected to be ready by 2027. These reactors, which could cost as little as $20 million, offer a scalable solution to the growing energy needs of data centers and other industries.
Walker acknowledges that people will always be concerned about nuclear reactors, especially when it comes to the issue of nuclear waste, but said: HPC Cable“When people talk about waste, they forget that if you took all the reactors that have ever been in operation in the United States, including submarine reactors, aircraft carriers, all of them since the '50s, you would put all the waste in one place. It wouldn't fill a football field. This is a very small amount of spent nuclear fuel that is generated by the operation of these reactors. And it's the only type of energy where, you know, you're using 100% of all the waste at any given time, down to the last atom. So it's very safe to say that this is the safest and cleanest form of energy that we've ever devised.”
