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.
-
TSMC has pledged around $165 billion of investments in the U.S. and said Thursday it’s speeding up construction of new plants in Arizona, looking to create a fabrication plant cluster and meet strong demand from clients. -
The bill, introduced by a Republican Arizona senator, would put restrictions on what data could be accessed and who could access it. The proposal comes after the surveillance camera company Flock Safety has come under scrutiny in the state. -
Tom Wainwright is media editor for the Economist and, in a recent article, he explores the ways in which technology is transforming old age — for the worse and, maybe surprisingly, for the better. -
The "Desert Pulse" project was a two-year process to put together, and involved sensors and other technology at around 20 locations — both inside the garden and elsewhere around the Valley. -
This weekend, SpaceX will take a telescope into orbit that will study the most common types of stars in the galaxy.
