Bill Gates-Backed TerraPower to Announce Second Nuclear Plant Aimed at AI Data Centers
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TerraPower, the nuclear startup founded by Bill Gates, plans to announce its first data center-focused nuclear project later this year, according to Bloomberg. This would be the company's second power plant, following a facility already under construction in Wyoming, with groundbreaking expected in 2027. The customer for the new project has not been named, but TerraPower previously announced in January that Meta agreed to purchase eight of its Natrium reactors. The company's 345-megawatt molten salt-cooled reactor design includes built-in energy storage, using molten sodium to store surplus heat and rapidly boost electricity output during demand spikes. This capability addresses the challenge that data centers pose to traditional reactors, whose power demands can fluctuate quickly with AI workloads. The design was originally meant to complement intermittent renewables, but it may also suit the varying power needs of AI infrastructure. This positioning makes TerraPower competitive as nuclear startups race to serve the growing data center market.
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