Nvidia and PreussenElektra Explore Repurposing Decommissioned German Nuclear Sites for AI Data Centers
The chipmaker and German energy company are assessing whether defunct nuclear power plant locations could serve as foundations for large-scale artificial intelligence computing facilities, leveraging existing infrastructure to accelerate deployment.
Nvidia has entered into a preliminary partnership with PreussenElektra GmbH, a German energy utility, to investigate the feasibility of transforming shuttered nuclear power plants into AI data centers. The collaboration was announced on October 21st, with both parties committing to evaluate whether PEL's decommissioned nuclear sites across Germany possess the necessary characteristics to support high-performance AI computing operations.
Our former power plant sites have valuable industrial infrastructure and offer opportunities for new, future-oriented uses. Together with NVIDIA, we intend to conduct a sound assessment of whether and how these conditions can be leveraged for AI factories. In doing so, we are combining the responsible reuse of our sites with new economic opportunities for the regions.
Guido Knott, Chairman of PreussenElektra's Management Board
The preliminary assessment will examine the viability of existing power grid infrastructure, land availability, and industrial facilities at former nuclear locations to determine whether they satisfy the demanding operational specifications required by what Nvidia calls "AI factories."
This initiative represents an effort to circumvent the lengthy and complex process of constructing data centers from the ground up during a period of intense competition for AI infrastructure. Establishing new facilities typically demands suitable real estate, industrial zoning clearances, access to water supplies for thermal management, and robust electrical grid infrastructure—assets that defunct nuclear plants already possess. By adapting these existing sites, Nvidia seeks to substantially lower expenses and shorten project timelines.
AI factories require access to power, land and high-capacity infrastructure, and former industrial sites could provide a strong foundation for this next generation of computing. Together with PreussenElektra, we will assess how its sites could meet the technical and operational requirements of AI factories and contribute to Germany's high-performance AI infrastructure.
Markus Hacker, senior regional director at Nvidia
Germany decommissioned its final active nuclear power plants in April 2023, following the Fukushima disaster, and is currently in the process of dismantling approximately 30 nuclear facilities nationwide. PreussenElektra holds responsibility for the decommissioning and dismantling of eight plants, which are presumably the candidates for this data center evaluation. Both organizations have emphasized that this initiative remains in an exploratory phase with no guarantees of advancement.
At this stage, no financial commitments, finalized development blueprints, or binding construction contracts have been established. Additionally, the proposal does not contemplate utilizing nuclear energy as a power source for any resulting data centers. The focus of the endeavor is exclusively on leveraging the physical and infrastructural assets of the sites.