The U.S. Department of Energy is planning a 1 gigawatt data center at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The facility will be powered by 2 gigawatts of energy generation, with a shift from natural gas to nuclear power.
What the plan includes
The DOE's proposal calls for a data center capable of drawing 1 GW of electricity. To support that load, the agency will build or repurpose 2 GW of generation capacity. The current plan involves moving away from natural gas and toward nuclear energy as the primary power source.
The Savannah River Site, a DOE-owned facility, has a history of nuclear operations. The new data center would be one of the largest government-backed computing facilities in the country.
Why the shift to nuclear
Nuclear power provides steady, carbon-free electricity around the clock. That makes it attractive for data centers, which need constant, reliable power. The switch from natural gas to nuclear aligns with broader federal goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy-intensive operations.
The DOE has not said which nuclear technology it will use — existing reactors, small modular reactors, or advanced designs. The agency also hasn't named any private partners for the project.
Scale and context
A 1 GW data center is massive. Most large data centers today run in the 100 to 300 MW range. The 2 GW of generation capacity means the site will produce more power than the data center needs, leaving room for expansion or other uses.
The project is part of a growing trend of pairing large computing facilities with dedicated power plants. Tech companies have signed deals with nuclear operators in recent years, but this would be a direct government-led effort.
The DOE has not released a timeline for construction or completion. The project will need environmental reviews and regulatory approvals before breaking ground. The agency is expected to provide more details in the coming months, including how it will finance the build-out and whether it will involve private industry.
