Equinix, a renowned global digital infrastructure and connectivity player, is showing real interest in nuclear energy to cater to the burgeoning power demand from its data centers. It has signed an agreement with Stellaria, a French start-up developing fast-neutron and molten-salt nuclear reactors, to get the first reservation of power capacity from Stellaria’s planned “Stellarium” reactors, which are scheduled for deployment in 2035.
In a press release, both companies made the agreement in response from data-centre operators seeking to confront rising electricity requirements driven by artificial intelligence. The International Energy Agency forecasts global electricity consumption will grow by 4 percent annually through 2027 which is the fastest pace in years fuelled by electrification, industrial recovery and the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure.
Régis Castagne, Managing Director of Equinix France, said,“We chose Stellaria because it is one of the few companies capable of making our high-performance AI data centres energy resilient while combining high security and flexibility.”
Stellaria CEO Nicolas Breyton, said,“The signing of this first contract is an important milestone for Stellaria. It sends a strong signal to the sector and proves that our roadmap is credible, with the deployment of our Stellariums planned for 2035.”
Aging grids and limited new generation capacity are already creating strains, prompting large tech and infrastructure companies to seek alternative, reliable and low-carbon power sources.
Equinix has launched several initiatives to diversify its energy supply, announcing in August collaborations with five alternative-energy providers, including Stellaria. The company says Stellaria’s design, billed as the world’s first “breed-and-burn” reactor, could offer round-the-clock, carbon-free electricity for high-performance computing. Each reactor is expected to produce 250 MW and to consume its own waste fuel, removing the need for on-site storage.