German energy company PreussenElektra GmbH has partnered with Nvidia to assess whether its former nuclear power sites could host AI data centers.

PreussenElektra, a subsidiary of German utility E.ON, specializes in the decommissioning and dismantling of nuclear power plants.

The companies said the partnership aims to assess existing energy and site infrastructure, as well as available land, to determine whether they meet the technical and operational requirements of high-performance AI data centers.

PreussenElektra said that power plant sites that offer extensive industrial sites, high-capacity grid connections and established infrastructure would meet the requirements for potential data center deployments.

As part of the tie-up, PreussenElektra will provide knowledge of the sites, infrastructure and relevant framework conditions to the assessment, with Nvidia in turn assessing the requirements for AI data centers and possible technical site concepts. The two companies will then determine which sites warrant more detailed consideration and under what conditions.

“Our former power plant sites have valuable industrial infrastructure and offer opportunities for new, future-oriented uses. Together with Nvidia, we intend to conduct a sound assessment of whether and how these conditions can be leveraged for AI factories. In doing so, we are combining the responsible reuse of our sites with new economic opportunities for the regions,” said Guido Knott, chairman of the PEL Management Board.

“AI factories require access to power, land and high-capacity infrastructure, and former industrial sites could provide a strong foundation for this next generation of computing,” added Markus Hacker, senior regional director at Nvidia. “Together with PreussenElektra, we will assess how its sites could meet the technical and operational requirements of AI factories and contribute to Germany’s high-performance AI infrastructure.”

The companies said that the assessment will be open-ended and represent the first step in the evaluation process. No specific investment or site decisions have been made. The companies have not said how they would power the data centers.

Germany currently has no operational nuclear plants, having permanently shuttered its last operational sites in April 2023 after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Approximately 30 former nuclear plants are currently being dismantled across the country, with PreussenElektra currently responsible for eight of those sites. These are likely the sites that will be assessed.

Nvidia has announced a number of nuclear-focused initiatives of late. For example, in July, the company partnered with the Idaho National Laboratory, AWS, and several major small modular reactor firms to launch the Prometheus project, an initiative that seeks to expedite advanced nuclear deployment through the use of AI.

The initiative was one of 278 selected under the Genesis Mission Request for Applications.