The coming generation of advanced nuclear reactor companies is counting on data center operators as key customers for their tech—and the feeling is mutual.
Equinix, a data center operator with 270 active sites globally, announced a new agreement with Radiant to purchase 20 of the company’s Kaleidos deployable microreactors. The agreement is the largest deal for any mass-manufactured reactor to date, according to Radiant—and it comes with a deposit down on the order.
And that’s not all. Equinix also announced other collaborations with the nuclear energy sector:
- The company signed an LoI with ULC-Energy, a Dutch nuclear developer that is looking to build Rolls-Royce SMRs in the Netherlands. The LoI covers a power purchase agreement for up to 250 MW of electricity.
- Equinix also secured a pre-order agreement with Stellaria, a molten salt reactor company, for 500 MW of electricity across Europe to power data centers.
- To round things out, Equinix also highlighted a 2024 agreement with Oklo to procure 500 MW of energy from Aurora plants.
“The potential challenges to powering reliable and sustainable digital infrastructure are considerable,” Ali Ruckteschler, SVP and chief procurement officer at Equinix, said in a release. “However, Equinix has always been at the forefront of energy innovation, signing the data center industry’s first agreement with a SMR provider and pioneering the use of fuel cells a decade ago. Powering AI infrastructure responsibly is a global priority.”
Shine bright: Radiant, the only company in this batch of announcements to secure a hard contract for reactor sales, has been on a hot streak lately. The company had one of the 11 projects selected by the DOE last week to participate in the Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, which aims to get several projects to criticality by Independence Day. Radiant is also one of the first two companies that will test their reactors with fuel in the DOME test bed.
Earlier this month, Radiant was also picked by the DoD to deliver a microreactor to a US military base by 2028.
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