Cumulus data (opens in a new tab) announced a new nuclear-powered data center in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Data centers used to require huge amounts of energy to operate, and yet server With improvements that have seen decent gains in efficiency and power in recent years, the industry continues to be under pressure to clean up emissions as the world moves closer to net zero.
In turn, the company is opening its flagship 475 megawatt data center, which it calls Susquehanna.
Susquehanna Nuclear Data Center
Phase 1 has now been completed, meaning you can lease space in the 48-megawatt, 300,000-square-foot data center.
The total area to be occupied by the 475 megawatt campus is 12,000 acres, which is expected to be the first of its kind in the United States.
Cumulus promises zero-carbon, low-cost, reliable power powered by Talen Energy’s nearby Susquehanna utility.
The new data centers are to be directly connected to the 2.5 gigawatt power plants, which Cumulus says will unlock significant value for its customers “without going through legacy transmission and distribution grids.”
This means it will be able to offer “the most attractive energy rate in the US” as well as offer companies the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint.
In addition to the clear benefits for companies, the company hopes to create “family-supporting” jobs and offer technology training to nearby Pennsylvania companies, among others. He also hopes to further develop such projects in other areas where Talen Energy operates.
While there are clear concerns about the use of nuclear power, it represents at least an important step forward in decarbonizing data centers.