On January 13, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled an ambitious plan to bolster the country's artificial intelligence (AI) sectorThe initiative, called the AI Growth Zones, aims to establish multiple regions in the UK focused on AI development and related infrastructureThe first of these zones will be located in Culham, Oxfordshire, home to the UK Atomic Energy Authority and its renowned facilities.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority manages the Joint European Torus (JET), Europe's largest nuclear fusion facilityThis facility, previously funded by the European Atomic Energy Community before Britain's exit from the organization, has made headlines in the past, notably in 2024 when it reported generating 69 megajoules of energy using just 0.2 milligrams of nuclear fuelThis remarkable achievement set a record for the highest energy output from fusion experimentsAdditionally, the authority oversees the upgraded Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak, a leading compact fusion device worldwide.

The establishment of the AI Growth Zones appears to be a strategic move to harness nuclear energy for powering AI computing centers

According to official reports, the UK plans to create an AI energy committee composed of government representatives and private enterprises, intending to utilize Small Modular Reactors (SMR) to meet energy demandsThe energy consumption of AI computing is notably high; Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang has warned that if only raw computing power is considered, the AI sector could consume energy equivalent to that of 14 Earths in the foreseeable futureReports from Omdia analyst Wang Zhen highlighted issues with Elon Musk's xAI company, which has seen design energy requirements soaring at a data center in Memphis, demanding 150 megawatts of power while the onsite transformers can only accommodate 8 megawattsA significant expansion will take one to two years to materialize, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable energy sources in AI development.

Nuclear energy is gaining attention as a more efficient option compared to current electricity grid solutions, thanks to higher energy output per unit of fuel

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Nuclear power generation is less susceptible to external factors such as weather and seasonal fluctuations, making it a consistent energy source for AI centersLin Li, Director at CIC Industry Research, affirmed, "Although the initial investment costs for nuclear energy projects are high, the advent of emerging technologies like SMR is enhancing the economic viability of nuclear power.”

A number of technology firms are exploring nuclear energy to support their data centersLarry Ellison, the founder of Oracle, expressed that a new 1-gigawatt (GW) data center under construction would be powered by three small modular reactorsAdditionally, Microsoft has partnered with TerraPower to purchase electricity from the Three Mile Island nuclear plant for its operations over the next two decades.

Despite these advancements, significant obstacles remain in actualizing nuclear energy as a power source for AI computing

One of the primary issues has been the feasibility of connecting nuclear plants to AI centersAmazon, for instance, had planned to collaborate with Talen Energy for a data center adjacent to a nuclear plant but faced rejection from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Lin noted, “Established nuclear plants are typically connected to the grid, supplying power through that networkIf a data center were to overconsume electricity, it could endanger the grid's reliability, making grid stability a core concern that led to FERC's dismissal of the proposal.”

Moreover, Lin added that safety and public acceptance regarding nuclear energy also present critical challengesPublic apprehension regarding nuclear safety remains a hot topic; a nuclear accident could have catastrophic repercussionsResidents near nuclear facilities often express concerns about environmental impacts, noise pollution, and pressure on existing electrical infrastructure.

To mitigate these potential risks highlighted in Talen Energy's proposal, off-grid power generation is becoming a favored trend for supplying nuclear energy

Wang Zhen pointed out, “In overseas data center planning, nuclear energy often integrates off-grid solutions, indicating this method is becoming a strong candidate for the future AI computing.” Off-grid power generation means generating electricity independently without relying on a public grid.

Nevertheless, the technologies required for off-grid nuclear power remain in preliminary stages for large-scale commercial availabilityWang noted, “The off-grid nuclear energy sector is not yet mature and will require fourth-generation, molten salt-cooled micro modular reactors, paired with equally modular turbine systemsIndustry experts suggest that commercialization will not occur before 2030, with 2035 being a more widely accepted expectation.” He also indicated a growing interest in an alternative off-grid solution using natural gas, where large AI computing centers are considering gas-powered generators or turbines.

Different geographical regions may adopt varying approaches to powering AI computing centers