Terrestrial Energy, a nuclear energy company in the US, has signed an agreement with Riot Platforms, a developer of large-scale data centers, to power its operations with the former’s fourth-generation molten salt reactors. As part of the agreement, Terrestrial will colocate its advanced nuclear reactors at data centers that Riot will build in the future. 

The rising popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) applications is driving demand for data centers worldwide. Big tech companies are investing heavily in chips to power their large language models (LLMs). However, they also need to secure uninterrupted power that will run these chips and deliver AI services to end users. 

Although companies were earlier keen on powering their services through energy generated by solar and wind energy plants, the intense competition in AI has them scrambling to secure energy contracts. While gas-powered plants are stepping in to meet demand, nuclear power plants are expected to meet long-term requirements as companies look to balance their energy needs and green operations goals. 

Terrestrial-Riot partnership

In this partnership, Terrestrial will bring its expertise in designing nuclear power plants and handling day-to-day applications, while Riot will contribute to developing hyperscale data centers. Riot, an industry leader in bitcoin mining operations, has collective experience in design, engineering, construction, operations, and leasing, which it is now looking to leverage as demand for data centers swells. 

Terrestrial uses Generation IV Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR), whose non-nuclear energy conversion systems are housed separately in the plant’s Thermal and Electric Facility. This provides a competitive advantage over small modular reactors (SMRs), as Terrestrial can also use hybrid energy configurations in which natural gas or other fuel sources can meet site-specific energy demands. 

“This partnership brings together two companies with sector-leading capabilities to unlock the tremendous value in IMSR Plant supply to data center operations and to build long-term strategic depth in Riot Platforms’ power-first strategy,” said Simon Irish, CEO of Terrestrial Energy, in a press release. 

“Riot has proven it can build and operate large-scale digital infrastructure, and our small and modular IMSR Plant is designed to deliver the reliable, low-cost power those operations need. Together, we see a clear path to deploying IMSR’s clean energy at scale for AI and HPC.”

What is ISMR? 

Conventional nuclear fission reactors use water as a coolant, which is sent through a highly pressurized system to cool fuel elements. Terrestrial’s approach uses molten salt both as a fuel and a coolant, enabling high-temperature, low-pressure operations. 

Not only does this approach improve the safety of the reactor, it also improves its efficiency. According to Terrestrial Energy, an IMSR plant has a thermal efficiency of 44 percent and can generate 392 megawatts (MW) of energy from a 884 MW thermal reactor. This is 50% higher than in conventional reactors. 

The reactor uses standard assay low-enriched uranium (SALEU), comprising less than 5% uranium, compared to other 4th-generation reactors that use high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). Compared to a conventional nuclear reactor, an IMSR generates 50 percent more power for the same reactor size while requiring less space. 

“Our data centers require reliable and predictable energy at the scale demanded by today’s hyperscale customers,” said Jason Les, CEO of Riot Platforms.

“Partnering with Terrestrial Energy positions our facilities at the forefront of data center deployment, utilizing clean energy and benefitting both our customers and the communities we operate in. The consistent baseload of power required by data centers presents an ideal pairing for development alongside Terrestrial’s IMSR Plants.”