AI datacenters are categorically different from traditional “hyperscale” cloud providers. The older datacenters were optimized for networking and storage – think streaming video and commerce websites.
AI datacenters are optimized for computing, and density is king. The goal is to pack as many parallel processing chips – Nvidia GPUs and Google TPUs – into a rack, and as many racks into the building, as possible.
This means that power consumption and cooling requirements are through the roof. One rack in a typical AWS datacenter might draw 20 kilowatts, while the latest Nvidia rack draws 132 kW. Pack the building full of those, and…
| Project/Company | Target Capacity | Status & Timeline | Key Details |
| xAI Colossus Expansion | 1.2 GW | Expansion underway; 150 MW substation completing Q4 2025, full 1.2 GW by late 2025–early 2026 | Building on the existing 250–300 MW Colossus cluster (built in 122 days). Involves on-site natural gas plant and grid upgrades; faces EPA scrutiny but leverages pre-existing factory infrastructure for speed. |
| OpenAI Texas Campus | 1 GW (phased from 300 MW) | Phase 1 (300 MW) operational; Phase 2 construction started Jan 2025, full GW by mid-2026 | Houses hundreds of thousands of GPUs; includes 210 substations and on-site electrical upgrades. Already straining ERCOT grid—could equal ~10% of regional peak during heat waves. |
| Meta | 1–5 GW (supercluster) | Ground broken 2024; first 1 GW online 2026, scaling to 5 GW by 2030 | Zuckerberg’s “gigawatt-plus” initiative; Meta’s largest yet, with $64–72B spend in 2025 alone. Focuses on liquid cooling for high-density AI racks; part of broader multi-GW campus plans. |
| Microsoft OpenAI “Stargate” | 1–5 GW | Planning advanced; construction to start late 2025, launch 2028 | $500B joint venture with Oracle/Nvidia; aims for massive AI sovereignty. Includes SMR nuclear pilots; power sourcing via PPAs and on-site generation to bypass grid delays. |
Microsoft has two 300 MW datacenters. This is comparable to peak load for the city of Tacoma, during their summer AC season. Within a few years, all the leading AI vendors will have datacenters above 1GW. That’s why Microsoft just made a deal to restart the infamous Three-Mile Island nuclear power plant.
A cynic might observe that, while the TMI facility was deemed unsafe to power homes and businesses in Pennsylvania, regulators were willing to reconsider once Microsoft came knocking. Likewise, in Europe, nuclear-powered France is winning the datacenter race over green Germany.
After years of woodburning and windmills, the voracious demands of AI are forcing the world to take another look at nuclear power.
