Nuclear power: a reliable and resilient response to the growth of data centres

Integration of renewable energy is accelerating as operators deploy on‑site solar, wind and battery storage, creating hybrid systems that cut emissions and strengthen resilience. Google has partnered with the Sonoran Solar Energy Centre in Arizona to power its Mesa data centre with solar and wind, including a 260‑MW solar plant and a 1 GWh battery energy storage system ^[7]. Amazon, Meta and Apple are following with investments in their own renewable infrastructure ^[8]. However, for large‑scale or mission‑critical operations, renewables alone cannot guarantee constant availability. This is where nuclear, particularly Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), enters the discussion.

SMRs offer low carbon, baseload power that can operate continuously and be deployed closer to demand centres. For data centres, SMRs represent a potential game-changer: a secure, localised, low carbon power source capable of supporting both resilience and sustainability. It’s an emerging frontier where digital infrastructure and clean energy engineering intersect. Yet the path to nuclear-powered data centres isn't purely technical, it's shaped significantly by the regulatory landscape that governs both industries.

highlights Gary Trouve, Nuclear Safety & Risk Expert for Assystem UK.

In this context, deploying SMRs for data centre applications requires not only advanced engineering capabilities, but also deep expertise in nuclear safety, regulation and system integration. Within this complex framework, Assystem brings proven expertise to SMR projects, delivering feasibility and safety studies, digital twin-based modelling to support design and safety assessments, and strategic advisory services to help project owners define robust, client-adapted safety strategies. Digital twins are increasingly central to both nuclear facilities and data centres. Beyond safety, they accelerate innovation cycles, optimise processes from design through operations, and enable faster, more reliable decision-making by providing a continuously updated, system‑wide view of performance, risk and resilience. As energy and digital systems grow in scale and complexity, this capability is becoming essential. Find out more about our SMR projects by clicking HERE.

Regulatory and Market Forces

Regulation shapes the data centre landscape through data privacy, cybersecurity and sustainability requirements. While data privacy is not an energy issue in itself, data localisation and sovereignty rules increasingly determine where data centres can be built, often irrespective of local grid capacity. These constraints sharpen the need for secure, low‑carbon baseload power, positioning nuclear energy as a strategic enabler of compliant and resilient deployment, particularly in grid‑constrained or power‑limited regions.

In parallel, sustainability and ESG expectations are reshaping energy strategy. Power choices are now judged not only on cost and availability, but on transparency, investor scrutiny and long-term carbon commitments. Understanding these regulatory and market forces is critical to positioning nuclear as a credible solution for the data centre sector.

1. What is ESG reporting?
   ESG reporting discloses a company’s environmental, social and governance performance to investors and stakeholders. As reporting increasingly becomes mandatory, energy‑intensive operators such as data centres face growing scrutiny over power choices. Carbon‑intensive electricity is now a visible liability, while nuclear partnerships can demonstrate credible progress on Scope 2 reductions, long‑term decarbonisation and operational resilience. With outages carrying financial and reputational risk, secure low‑carbon baseload power strengthens both sustainability credentials and investor confidence.
2. What are Carbon neutrality targets?Carbon neutrality (or Net Zero) targets are national commitments to balance emissions with removals by a defined date. These targets place direct pressure on data centres to decarbonise without sacrificing 24/7 reliability. In this context, nuclear energy offers continuous, low carbon power, providing a credible and scalable route to meeting Scope 2 and Scope 3 targets through genuine emissions reduction at source, rather than offsets or contractual instruments alone.
3. What are the data sovereignty laws surrounding data centres? 
   Data sovereignty and localisation laws dictate where certain types of data must be stored and/or processed, requiring data centres to be built in specific jurisdictions regardless of existing grid capacity or energy availability. This often significantly impacts data centre operations and investment, forcing operators to establish facilities in regions where grid connections are constrained, or renewable energy is unreliable.

Nuclear offers a strategic solution to this challenge: by providing localised, grid-independent baseload power, nuclear enables data centres to comply with data sovereignty requirements without compromising on energy security or sustainability.

explains Gary Trouve.

Operators can build where regulations require them to operate, not just where the grid permits.

• Legacy European hubs (FLAP-D – Frankfurt / London / Amsterdam / Paris / Dublin, and Finland): long queues (10+ years) for large IT loads due to transmission constraints and crowded queues.
• US (hyperscale hubs like Northern Virginia): multi-year waits (5+ years) but utilities and private investors are taking actions (e.g., new plants, PPAs) to relieve pressure
• EMEA / MENA / APAC growth markets (UAE, Saudi, Morocco, India, Egypt, Uzbekistan): generally shorter waits where governments prioritise projects and build capacity quickly, but timelines depend on local transmission works and whether a new substation is required.

These factors are not simply compliance challenges; they're market signals driving nuclear adoption. Operators that integrate nuclear power into their sustainability strategy will be best positioned to meet tightening carbon regulations, attract ESG‑focused investors and customers, and secure the reliable, low‑carbon baseload power required for long‑term growth. The regulatory environment isn't an obstacle to nuclear-powered data centres, it's a driver.

As data centres become more dependent on localised, digitised energy systems, cybersecurity is integral to both compliance and operational resilience. Assystem has supported a major UAE electricity operator in defining and deploying a national Smart Grid cybersecurity framework aligned with international standards (NISTIR 7628). This secure‑by‑design expertise, covering governance, risk strategy and digital infrastructure, is directly applicable to data centre operators navigating data sovereignty requirements in highly regulated and rapidly digitising energy environments. Click HERE to learn more about this project.

Engineering the Future: Assystem’s Opportunities

As the global digital economy grows, so too does the need for expertise at the intersection of energy, infrastructure, and digital technology. Many of the engineering challenges faced by the nuclear industry can be applied to data centres, particularly around risk and reliability as system complexity increases.

continues Gary Trouve.

Assystem has already brought this expertise into practice, supporting a UK data centre operator across seven sites through Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) analysis against IEEE standards. By modelling electrical and HVAC systems and identifying common cause failures, the project enabled the client to demonstrate contractual compliance while gaining clear insight into how design choices affected reliability. Read more about the project HERE.

With a heritage rooted in nuclear engineering and an expanding presence in digital infrastructure, Assystem operates at the intersection of these two critical sectors. This unique position gives us a deep understanding of how energy and digital systems converge, and what it takes to make them work together.

Drawing on methodologies developed for nuclear and defence environments, we bring a tested, impartial way of assessing risk and reliability in high‑stakes systems. When applied to data centres, this approach helps operators move beyond assumptions and gain an evidence‑based understanding of how their facilities perform under stress. This depth of analysis supports better design choices, smoother engagement with regulators and stakeholders, and a more assured pathway to building 24/7, resilient, low‑carbon infrastructure.

comments Hannah Thompson, Safety & Risk Operations Director, Assystem.

Applying nuclear‑grade reliability practices (such as probabilistic safety assessment, digital twin modelling, and system-level risk analysis) allows data centre operators to quantify resilience with far greater precision. This capability will be increasingly important as facilities scale and competition intensifies, positioning early adopters at a clear advantage.

The data centres of the future won’t just power the digital economy; they’ll power the energy transition itself. What if the world's most power‑hungry buildings became its most influential decarbonisation engines? With nuclear, that future is both achievable and within reach.

concludes Gary Trouve.