In an ambitious move to address the soaring energy needs of cutting-edge artificial intelligence systems, Oracle plans to establish a data center powered by three compact modular nuclear reactors. This innovative undertaking was disclosed by Larry Ellison, co-founder and chairman of Oracle, during a recent earnings call detailed by The Motley Fool.
The envisioned nuclear-powered facility is expected to generate over one gigawatt of electricity, adequately supporting Oracle’s extensive processing requirements for future projects. Among its goals is the development of a supercomputer that will surpass even xAI’s impressive Colossus supercluster.
Approval for Nuclear Reactor Construction
Ellison shared insights on Oracle’s current infrastructure: “We operate 162 cloud data centers globally, either active or under construction. The largest among these has an output capacity of 800 megawatts and features vast Nvidia GPU clusters capable of training some of the most complex AI models in existence.”
“To excel in crafting superior neural networks requires substantial resources,” he continued. “Our forthcoming data centers will exceed one gigawatt in size—a feat we have successfully mastered with our ultra-high bandwidth RDMA networks alongside massive 32,000-node Nvidia GPU clusters.” He emphasized this excellence as a pivotal factor in their robust performance within AI training markets.
Ellison elaborated on the increasing financial demands associated with AI advancement: “The competition isn’t slowing down; it continuously pushes us toward refining neural networks further. The economic stakes are enormous; entering this domain can reach around $100 billion just for initiating advanced model development.”
Diving deeper into Oracle’s complex projects, he stated that they are actively crafting plans for a new facility with power exceeding one gigawatt. “We’ve pinpointed an appropriate site and found achievable power solutions,” he mentioned while noting that permits are already secured for three small modular reactors (SMRs) intended to supply energy to this facility—highlighting the project’s ambitious scale without divulging specific site details or timings.
Recently, small modular reactors have garnered interest as an effective energy source suitable for large-scale data centers. According to research from Notebookcheck, there are currently limited operational SMRs worldwide—in Japan, China, and Russia being notable examples. Additionally, NuScale Power, based out of Oregon, obtained regulatory approval last year for its inaugural SMR in the U.S., suggesting that Oracle may incorporate such advancements into its pioneering project.
Additional Tech Insights
- A Bill Gates-backed initiative is working on building an ‘affordable’ nuclear power plant.
- Microsoft appears poised to explore using nuclear power for future facilities.
- Micro nuclear reactors could potentially reduce costs to around $20 million and look set for deployment by 2031.
