Ambitious Experiment Aims to Test Tiny Nuclear Reactors for AI Data Centers
Researchers at the University of Utah are collaborating with Elemental Nuclear to test whether a small nuclear reactor can power an AI data center, using a repurposed TRIGA research reactor to generate a few kilowatts of electricity for a live AI workload. The project is a proof-of-concept aimed at exploring the feasibility of microreactors as a future energy source for high-demand AI infrastructure. While the current scale is minimal compared to commercial data centers, the experiment could inform future developments in decentralized nuclear power for computing.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
As if the U.S. grids weren’t stressed enough, AI data centers threaten to overwhelm them further with their massive energy demands. To address these challenges, researchers in Utah are entertaining the viability of microreactors—smaller, often portable fission reactors—for powering AI data centers with high energy demands.cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({"playerId":"92b7b46b-43ed-4e0e-b21b-2c999302d9d7","settings":{"advertising":{"macros":{"AD_UNIT":"/23178111854/od.gizmodo.com/article","CHILD_UNIT":"article","POST_ID":"2000752883","POST_TYPE":"post","CHANNEL":"earther","SECTION":"energy","SUBSECTION":"","CATEGORIES":"energy","TAGS":"data-centers,microreactors,nuclear-energy","NOP":"0"},"timeBeforeFirstAd":0}}}).render("cnx-player-main")}); For now, the project is at a proof-of-concept stage.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Gizmodo.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Gizmodo
