Workshop: Setting expectations: Is nuclear power going to be a gamechanger for data centres in Europe?
05 Mar 2025
Workshop Room
Workshops
Modern nuclear reactors promise stable, zerocarbon power, precisely what data centre operators are searching for. However, what remains unclear is whether nuclear will be a viable solution to European DCs, and on what timescale we can expect to start utilising it on a large scale. Existing nuclear power, whilst reliable, is limited in capacity, so the industry is turning to technologies such as SMRs in the hope they will provide alternative access to nuclear power in the coming years. Alongside this, we know that SMRs are not ready to be deployed at scale. There are players across the world striving for commercial viability ASAP, with the IEA estimates by companies in over 20 countries are developing more than 85 SMR designs and concepts. This session reviews some of the projects that have the potential to disrupt the nuclear power space and provides a forum for discussion on timescales, roadblocks, and policy requirements, including regulatory, cost and public perception challenges.