Indiana, Texas A&M Hope Nuclear Power Draws Big Tech Data Centers

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2025 – Some states want to be sure they are not left behind in the race to supply Big Tech with nuclear power.

Indiana and Texas A&M University separately announced plans recently to add land and funding to help support the building of small modular reactors (SMRs) in their respective states.

The Indiana Senate passed two bills on Monday that will help utilities companies with the financial burden of building small nuclear reactors. These bills are among several proposals from state lawmakers this year aimed at ensuring AI data centers in Indiana have the substantial power supply they require.

The first bill established a nuclear reactor pilot program and gave utilities companies the opportunity to partner with certain groups to help with reactor construction projects. The second bill will help investor-owned electric utilities subsidize nuclear reactor development for companies.

Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp also announced Tuesday that he is offering land near the university’s campus to four reactor companies to build SMRs. The four companies - Kairos Power, Natura Resources, Terrestrial Energy, and Aalo Atomics - will be awarded the Texas A&M-RELLIS campus in Bryan, Texas.

“Until now, reactor manufacturers – along with the most powerful names in Big Tech – have not been able to find a suitable place to build clusters of nuclear reactors that can supply the power needed for artificial intelligence endeavors, data centers and other projects,” Texas A&M said in the statement Tuesday.