[Hardware] Westinghouse's eVinci micro nuclear reactor for data centers delivers 5 megawatts of power for eight years without refueling — microreactors could power next-gen AI data centers

[Angel of Death]

The rise of AI has led to an explosion of new data center build-outs, but power consumption has become one of the key bottlenecks to further expansion. That's fueled intense interest in small nuclear reactors that can be built right into newer data centers, such as the new eVinci microreactor from Westinghouse, which is designed to output five megawatts of power and work 24/7 for over eight years without refueling.

Westinghouse Electric Company, one of the leaders in nuclear power plant construction, has submitted its Preliminary Safety Design Report (PSDR) for the eVinci Microreactor to the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This is a crucial step required at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) so that the eVinci can be deployed for testing at the NRIC’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) facility. Westinghouse also says that it’s the first company to do so, making it one of the pioneers in microreactor technology.

Some see development in microreactor technology as a crucial strategy to keep our data-driven society moving forward. Many key leaders, including Mark Zuckerberg, say that power supply will constrain AI growth, especially as data centers require more power-hungry GPUs just to process all the data we generate. One report even says that a single modern AI GPU could consume up to 3.7MWh annually — or about the power needs of the average American home for four months.

Aside from Westinghouse, several major AI firms are looking at nuclear reactors to supply their power requirements. This includes Oracle, which has already secured the permits to build three small modular reactors (SMR), and Microsoft, which, at first, was also looking at SMRs for its data centers, but recently just inked a deal to restart the Three Mile Island reactor.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/power-supplies/westinghouses-evinci-micro-nuclear-reactor-for-data-centers-delivers-5-megawatts-of-power-for-eight-years-without-refueling-microreactors-could-power-next-gen-ai-data-centers