ASU will study microreactors to power data centers

The U.S. Department of Energy has selected Arizona State University to study how microreactors can be used to address data center needs.

The university will be part of a team with DCX USA, which specializes in data centers and AI. The effort is being led by the Idaho National Laboratory.

The goal is to create stand-alone sources to draw power from, reducing dependence on the traditional grid.

“They are building a microreactor, a very small house-sized advanced reactor that is slightly larger than a garden shed and slightly smaller than a house," said Scott Barclay, the assistant vice president for research at ASU.

Barclay says the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure could cause data centers to draw too much power from the current grid and cause instabilities.

“Data centers are scheduled within the next three years to use about one-eighth of all the electricity generated in the United States, so they've ramped up in the last couple years," he said.

He says data centers tend to exist in places where they can obtain cheap electricity, such as Arizona.