Nvidia, PreussenElektra weigh AI data centers at former nuclear sites

Nvidia and PreussenElektra are assessing whether the German utility's former nuclear plant sites can host AI data centers, with no investment amount or site decision set.

PreussenElektra, the E.ON subsidiary that dismantles nuclear plants, said the partnership will weigh available land, energy and site infrastructure against the technical and operational requirements of high-performance AI data centers. Data Center Dynamics reported the study on Oct. 28. The utility supplies knowledge of the sites and the relevant framework conditions. Nvidia assesses what an AI data center requires and drafts technical site concepts.

For allocators comparing data-center or power-infrastructure opportunities, the companies' screening criteria are extensive industrial land, high-capacity grid connections and established infrastructure, PreussenElektra said. The utility has eight former plant sites to screen against those conditions. The companies have not said how the data centers would be powered.

Germany permanently shut its last operating reactors in April 2023 after the Fukushima disaster. About 30 former nuclear plants are being dismantled across the country. PreussenElektra is responsible for eight of them, and Data Center Dynamics identified those eight as the likely candidates for the assessment.

Nvidia has been assembling nuclear-adjacent partners. In July it worked with Idaho National Laboratory, AWS and several small modular reactor developers, Data Center Dynamics reported. Cadence opened a Munich AI data center running Nvidia systems on Oct. 27, as Private Wealth Daily previously reported.

The companies said the next step is a shortlist to determine which sites warrant more detailed consideration and under what conditions.