TerraPower Targets AI Data Centers With Nuclear-Storage Power

TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates, is positioning advanced nuclear power as a solution to the electricity bottleneck facing artificial-intelligence data centers. Its Natrium design combines a 345-megawatt sodium-cooled fast reactor with molten-salt energy storage, allowing the reactor to run steadily while shifting power delivery to periods of peak demand. The system can also complement intermittent renewable generation, giving TerraPower a flexibility advantage over conventional nuclear plants as technology companies seek large volumes of round-the-clock, carbon-free electricity.

TerraPower and Meta announced an agreement on Jan. 9, 2026, to develop as many as eight Natrium plants in the United States. Two initial units, providing a combined 690 megawatts of firm power, could be delivered as early as 2032, while six additional units totaling 2.1 gigawatts are targeted for 2035. The full fleet would supply 2.8 gigawatts of baseload capacity and use built-in storage to lift peak output to 4 gigawatts. Financial terms were not disclosed.