A new report from international classification society ABS and Herbert Engineering explores an innovative solution to the growing energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers: floating nuclear-powered facilities utilizing coastal waters and river estuaries.
The concept design combines small modular reactors (SMR) with data center operations aboard purpose-built barges, using surrounding waters as a natural heat sink for both server cooling and reactor systems. This approach addresses two critical challenges facing the tech industry: the surging power requirements of AI computing and the strain on existing power grids.
“The intersection of new nuclear technologies and rapidly growing AI capabilities represents a generational opportunity to power humanity’s future,” says Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman and CEO. “Moving data centers offshore and powering them with onboard nuclear energy could mitigate certain risks and reduce the strain on local grids.”
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