Nvidia Eyes Former German Nuclear Plants as AI Data Centers

Nvidia has signed a preliminary agreement with PreussenElektra GmbH, a German energy company that operates, shuts down and dismantles nuclear power plants. The goal is to assess whether former reactor sites can be turned into something useful: AI data centers.

Germany's nuclear exit creates spare sites

Germany has been phasing out nuclear power for years. The last operating reactors were disconnected from the grid in 2023, a process that began after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, when an earthquake and tsunami cut power and knocked out cooling systems. Around 30 nuclear plants are now being dismantled across the country, and PreussenElektra is responsible for closing and decommissioning eight of them.

Nvidia, currently the largest supplier of infrastructure for artificial intelligence, wants to take advantage of that. "Together with NVIDIA, we intend to carry out a thorough assessment of whether and how these conditions can be used in AI centers," said Guido Knott of PreussenElektra. He added that the former plant sites have valuable industrial infrastructure and offer room for new, forward-looking uses.

Infrastructure, not cheap atomic power

According to the report, the appeal is not cheap electricity from nuclear generation. What matters is the ready-made sites and infrastructure, which can handle power-hungry hardware and provide water-based cooling for computing systems.

Nvidia is now examining grid connections, land and industrial infrastructure to see whether the locations meet the demanding requirements of AI facilities. Plants that were running until recently should, in theory, tick the boxes. Reusing them could cut costs and significantly shorten the time needed to bring new server farms online.

For now, the project is purely experimental, and concrete details are scarce. The statement also does not say whether local authorities and residents have been informed about the plans.