US firm to bury nuclear reactors 1-mile underground to power data centers

Offering a unique approach to powering data centers through nuclear energy, Deep Fission and Endeavour Energy have announced a strategic partnership. Their agreement plans to bury small modular reactors (SMRs) a mile underground.

“As part of the agreement, Endeavour and Deep Fission have committed to co-developing 2 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear energy to power Endeavour’s expanding global portfolio of Edged data centers,” said Deep Fission in a press release. Notably, the first reactors are expected to be operational by 2029.

Deep Fission, a nuclear energy company, is pioneering this new approach. They have designed small nuclear reactors that are lowered into 30-inch boreholes drilled a mile deep.

Innovative approach with several benefits

This method takes advantage of the natural geological properties at that depth. The earth provides robust containment and constant pressure. This eliminates the need for the massive concrete structures typically used for containment in aboveground nuclear reactors.

This approach offers several advantages. It significantly reduces the cost of construction and minimizes the environmental impact by decreasing the surface footprint of the reactor.

“Our technology not only ensures the highest levels of safety but also positions us to deliver zero-carbon continuous power at a cost of just 5-7 cents per kWh,” added Elizabeth Muller, Co-Founder and CEO of Deep Fission.

Furthermore, it enhances safety by utilizing the natural geological features as a barrier.

Powering Endeavour’s Edged data centers with underground nuclear reactor

Endeavour Energy’s 2 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear energy, which it will be co-developing with Deep Fission, will be used to fuel its growing global network of Edged data centers, as per the press release.

“We are constantly searching for technologies capable of supporting the unprecedented demands of AI and meeting green energy goals, but they have to be economically viable,” said Jakob Carnemark, Founder of Endeavour and Edged data centers.

“Deep Fission’s solution slashes the high costs and long timelines of surface-built nuclear projects, enhances safety, and delivers clean, reliable energy with high power density of more than 100 MW in a quarter acre.”

Growing demand for nuclear energy

There is significant momentum for getting power from nuclear reactors right now.

In October 2024, Google signed the world’s first corporate agreement with Kairos Power to buy electricity from multiple SMRs. As per a blog post from Google, it plans to purchase a total of 500 MW of power from six to seven reactors.

Adding to this series of developments, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman-backed nuclear energy startup Oklo has entered into a partnership to provide up to 12 GW of energy to Switch, a leading AI provider and data center operator.

This highlights the growing need for clean and reliable energy sources. These sources are crucial to support the increasing demands of AI applications and other compute-intensive workloads.

The latest innovative technology from Deep Fusion has the potential to reshape the energy landscape and contribute to a more sustainable future. It offers a potentially safer and more cost-effective way to generate clean energy.

“The partnership between Deep Fission and Endeavour will redefine how clean energy is incorporated into electricity-demanding industries,” concluded the press release.

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