Texas A&M University plans to lease land to four nuclear startups to construct small modular reactors (SMRs) as a response to increasing electricity demands from AI data centers and population growth. With a potential $200 million state funding, the initiative seeks to establish a testing ground for energy technologies. The university's effort aims to address a projected power demand surge in Texas, likely doubling by 2030, driven by new data-intensive businesses. The timeline for the first U.S. SMR remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from five to 15 years before commercialization.
"Hopefully we're the first of many places that have a proving ground for new energy technologies," Joe Labd, vice chancellor for research at Texas A&M, told Business Insider.
Texas' main grid operator forecast that power demand will nearly double by 2030, driven mainly by requests to plug into the grid from data centers and crypto-mining facilities.
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