TerraPower plans to announce its first data center project this year to provide consistent power for AI.
TerraPower, a nuclear power startup founded by Bill Gates, plans to announce its first data center project this year. The project is expected to break ground in 2027 and will serve as the company's second power plant, following the first which is currently under construction in Wyoming. To address the power demands of AI data centers, TerraPower utilizes a 345-megawatt molten salt-cooled reactor. This technology allows the reactor to keep splitting atoms at a constant rate while storing excess heat in a giant vat of molten salt. This design provides a flexibility that traditional nuclear reactors often lack, as it can quickly ramp up power output to meet demand spikes without requiring the other expensive equipment to slow down. By pairing high capacity factors with energy storage, TerraPower aims to oversee the market for AI power, offering a reliable antidote to the intermittent nature of wind and solar power.