Key facts
- TerraPower plans to announce its first data center project this year.
- The company's first power plant is under construction in Wyoming.
- Meta has agreed to purchase eight of TerraPower's Natrium power plants.
- TerraPower's reactor design features molten salt cooling and energy storage in molten sodium.
- The reactor can store excess heat to generate power during demand spikes.
Nuclear power startup TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates, is entering the race to power AI data centers, a sector facing significant energy demands. The company plans to announce its first data center project this year, with construction expected to begin in 2027. This follows an earlier announcement that Meta will purchase eight of TerraPower's Natrium power plants.
TerraPower's key advantage lies in its reactor design, which incorporates energy storage. Unlike traditional nuclear reactors that are slow to adjust output, TerraPower's molten salt-cooled reactor can maintain full operation by storing excess heat in a vat of molten sodium. This stored energy can then be used to generate additional power when demand spikes, such as during intensive AI training or prompt responses.
This approach allows the reactor to operate at peak capacity more consistently, helping to amortize the high capital expenditures associated with nuclear technology. It also provides flexibility, enabling the plant to integrate with intermittent renewable energy sources or meet the fluctuating demands of data centers, potentially giving TerraPower an edge over competitors.