Main Catalog Technology and organization of construction Economics and management in construction

Infrastructure of the future: new approaches to building data centers using small modular reactors

Authors: Shevaldina E.I., Shevaldina K.S.
Published in issue: #4(99)/2025
DOI:
Category: Technology and organization of construction \| Chapter: Economics and management in construction
Keywords: data processing center, data center, artificial intelligence, low-power modular reactor, energy supply, energy shortage, construction, nuclear energy
Published: 28.08.2025

In the context of increasing electricity consumption caused by the development of artificial intelligence and increasing amounts of data, data processing centers (data centers) face serious challenges in ensuring stable energy supply. Nuclear power engineering, especially low-power modular reactors (MMRs), is a promising solution capable of providing data centers with reliable and environmentally friendly energy. The article discusses the necessity, prerequisites, advantages, and difficulties of building nuclear-powered data centers by integrating MMR into the data center infrastructure, as well as potential solutions to ensure sustainable energy supply.
Publications in scientific journals and online publications related to the research topic were used as research material. In the extended search, 126 sources were studied. A further limitation on the time of writing from 2024 to the present, the exclusion of sources with a retelling of primary sources has narrowed the search area to 27. The research methods used were theoretical methods of studying sources and literature: analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, content analysis, comparative analysis and modeling.
It is proposed to solve the problem of data center energy consumption by using MMR in the construction of data centers, which have a number of advantages: low carbon dioxide emissions, small physical presence, stable and reliable power supply, high economic efficiency. There are difficulties associated with the construction of data centers, such as regulatory barriers, public opinion, the limited number of available MMRs, and the problem of waste disposal. There are already examples of mini-nuclear power plants in the world that can be considered as a platform for creating MMR as part of a data center, such as the Akademik Lomonosov floating NPP in Russia and the HTR-PM modular reactor in China.
The use of small modular reactors in data centers is a promising solution to ensure reliable and environmentally friendly energy supply.

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