Oklo, Wyoming Hyperscale partner for data center energy

May 29, 2024, 12:01PMNuclear News
Oklo’s Aurora Powerhouse (Image: Gensler)

California-based Oklo is partnering with Wyoming Hyperscale to power a state-of-the-art data center campus.

The companies, which announced the partnership last week, signed a nonbinding letter of intent to provide 100 megawatts of carbon-free energy for a 20-year power purchase agreement. Wyoming Hyperscale is building a data center on 58 acres of land on Aspen Mountain, a remote site southeast of Evanston, Wyo., and plans to use Oklo’s Aurora Powerhouse units to provide clean energy at the site.

The Aurora Powerhouse uses a fission battery powered by metallic fuel to produce up to 50 megawatts of energy, along with usable heat. Oklo has received Department of Energy approval to build a prototype of the reactor at Idaho National Laboratory.

Quotable: “Our goal is to create data centers with minimal environmental impact. This collaboration with Oklo perfectly aligns with our vision for sustainable, efficient operations. By merging sustainability with advanced technology, we are setting a new standard for the future of accelerated computing,” said Trenton Thornock, founder and managing member of Wyoming Hyperscale.

Jacob DeWitte, cofounder and chief executive of Oklo, added, “As the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence increases, Oklo remains dedicated to providing clean, reliable, and affordable energy solutions to meet the needs of our data center partners. Our partnership with Wyoming Hyperscale underscores our commitment to advancing sustainable energy practices and supporting high-efficiency operations within the data center industry.”

The partners: Wyoming Hyperscale is creating sustainable technology with a special focus on building data centers with an eco-friendly design. The company offers solutions for AI by merging sustainability with advanced technology.

Oklo, which is backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is a fast fission clean power technology and nuclear fuel recycling company. The company has a license application under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the first custom combined license for a compact fast micro-reactor.

One of Oklo’s first products, the Aurora Powerhouse, can generate 15 or 50 megawatts of power, which the company says makes the units ideal for data centers, factories, and industrial sites. The compact fast reactor uses HALEU metallic uranium-zirconium fuel enriched to about 19 percent.

Oklo signed a similar nonbinding agreement in April with Texas-based Diamondback Energy Inc. to provide 50 megawatts for operations in the southwest United States. Earlier this year, Oklo also signed a deal to provide up to 500 megawatts-electric of power to Equinix to serve its U.S data centers. Equinix, a multinational company headquartered in California that specializes in Internet connection and data centers, has prepaid $25 million in permitted equity financing.


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