A huge step in the nuclear direction as data center company, Switch signs an agreement with Oklo, an advanced nuclear power plant company backed by Sam Altman. Switch is a leader in reliability and sustainability for data center deployment. Their data centers run solely on renewable energy. Their sign on with nuclear startup Oklo indicates a progression towards nuclear as the backbone of energy production for infrastructure.

This news comes just months after large companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and more shift towards nuclear power generation for their data centers. Switch’s switch to this further solidifies the demand for abundant power.

Energy usage for data centers in the age of AI is a growing concern as more tech companies uncover accessible ways for the new technology’s use. Energy demands are increasing at the same time as regulations on fossil fuels are put in place. Although solar energy is a growing field, the density of these large solar battery storage centers is not as great as fossil fuel power generation.

In 2013, Oklo began researching and designing their advanced reactor. In 2019, they became the first company to get a site use permit for an advanced reactor. They were awarded fuel for their first reactor from Idaho National Laboratory at this time and they are currently on track to get through regulatory hurdles and deploy their first commercial reactor in 2027. Their agreement with Switch is proof of concept for their reactor design and demonstrates their successes up to this point.

Oklo also provides a different business model to its customers, one that makes partnering much easier to do. While most nuclear companies aim to sell their plant to generate power to companies, Oklo has raised enough funding to build the plant and sell the power instead. This makes the cost to using nuclear power much lower for companies like Switch and diversify their clients to many different businesses.

Oklo also plans to use nuclear fuel waste as their fuel and enrich it to create a liquid metal cooled fast reactor. This improves the issue of a massive collection of fuel waste while recycling it for use in an efficient nuclear reactor.

Switch utilizes 100% renewable energy to power their data centers. Their move towards nuclear power as a power generating source strengthens their environmental business model. While many people think that a renewable energy will not be enough to power data centers reliably all the time around the world, this motion proves that it is possible. The founder of Switch, Rob Roy, says:

“The relationship with Oklo underscores our commitment to deploying advanced nuclear power at a transformative scale for our data centers, further enhancing our offerings of one of the world’s most advanced data center infrastructures to current and future Switch clients. By utilizing Oklo’s powerhouses, we aim to ensure that Switch remains the leader in data center sustainability while supporting our vision of energy abundance.”

Switch’s decision to partner with a nuclear power plant company says a lot about the future of nuclear power. In the growing climate of AI and rapid increase in demand for renewable power generation, it would not be a surprise to see many data centers running on nuclear reactions.