Micro nuclear reactors are being built that can deliver 5MW of power for up to 100 months, producing a staggering 1.2 petawatt-hours of energy

Nuclear power is increasingly being recognized for its potential to 
revolutionize energy supply in data centers, a necessity as artificial 
intelligence continues to drive demand.

Companies like Oracle and Microsoft have both begun investigating 
nuclear energy (as has former Microsoft chairman Bill Gates), with 
Microsoft inking an agreement to purchase power from the infamous Three 
Mile Island reactor.

Micro nuclear reactors are also set to provide clean, safe, and 
reliable energy to meet the increasing demands of data centers and 
other industries. We previously wrote how Nano Nuclear Energy is on 
track to have its first commercial microreactors ready by the early 
2030s, with prototypes expected as soon as 2027.

To the moon!
Now, details have surfaced about Westinghouse's eVinci microreactor, 
after the company revealed it had submitted its Preliminary Safety 
Design Report (PSDR) to the Department of Energy’s National Reactor 
Innovation Center (NRIC) and in doing so is the first reactor developer 
to reach this milestone.

“The completion of the PSDR for the eVinci test reactor is an important 
step toward enabling a micro reactor developer to perform a test in our 
DOME facility,” said Brad Tomer, acting director of NRIC.

“As a national DOE program and part of INL, the nation’s nuclear energy 
research laboratory, NRIC is committed to working with private 
companies such as Westinghouse to perform testing and accelerate the 
development of advanced nuclear technologies that will provide clean 
energy solutions for the US.”

NRIC, a key initiative under the DOE, is dedicated to fast-tracking the 
development and deployment of advanced nuclear technologies like the 
eVinci microreactor. Its mission includes establishing four new 
experimental facilities and two large-scale reactor test beds by 2028, 
with plans to complete two advanced technology experiments by 2030.

The eVinci microreactor, which Westinghouse says “has very few moving 
parts, working essentially as a battery,” could be used to provide 
reliable electricity and heating for remote communities, universities, 
mining operations, industrial centers, data centers, and defense 
facilities - and, the company says, even on the lunar surface and 
beyond.

More from TechRadar Pro
Bill Gates backed firm constructing 'affordable' nuclear power station

Microsoft could be planning to run future data centers with nuclear 
power

Micro nuclear reactors could cost as little as $20 million and launch 
by 2031

https://www.techradar.com/pro/micro-nuclear-reactors-are-being-built-
that-can-deliver-5mw-of-power-for-up-to-100-months-producing-a-
staggering-1-2-petawatt-hours-of-energy