Keystone
The power-hungry AI data center will be routed directly to the source and will be built next to a nuclear power plant.
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- The development of artificial intelligence requires, among other things, huge amounts of electricity.
- As a result, there are now plans to build AI data centers next to power plants.
- This will be implemented first at a nuclear power plant in Connecticut.
No one really wants to live next to a nuclear power plant. After all, it's not particularly nice to look at, and if something goes wrong, the land could lose its significant value for several thousand years. However, data center operator NE Edge sees things very differently.
Even ordinary data centers have large power requirements. On the other hand, NE Edge wants to create a data center specializing in the development of artificial intelligence, whose servers with high-performance chips require several times more power. So why not go straight to the source, think NE Edge.
Directly connected to the nuclear power plant
It chose the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant in the US state of Connecticut. It wants to buy up to 13 percent of the total electricity production from the power plant, which has a production capacity of 2 gigawatts. For comparison: the most powerful Swiss nuclear power plant in Leibstadt produces 1.2 GW.
The NE Edge data center will have a direct connection to the nuclear power plant and will not need to run over the public power grid. This saves you money on network charges and allows you to enter into a contract directly with the power plant operator.
However, the project is not without controversy among residents and local politicians, as reported by the Hartford Courant. They are particularly concerned about rising electricity prices. NE Edge, in turn, promised to pay more than $1 billion in taxes over the next 30 years. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has not yet decided whether he will approve the project.
