Nuclear-powered Datacenters: What Could Go Wrong?

Kettle The growth of electricity-hungry datacenters is causing some operators to fear for their power security and consider the nuclear option. In this week's Kettle The Register discusses how practical this is.

As well as tapping into the grid and on-site batteries and generators, depending on the situation, datacenter administrators may want another source, whether to provide steady or emergency power. Small nuclear reactors may become a viable option, though some folks are squeamish about things like the amount of fissile material involved.

You can watch our vultures debate the tech below.

There are still many questions to answer before we see the deployment of such systems: cost, safety, security, design, placement, construction, fuel supply, responsibilities, decommissioning, management... the usual nuclear headaches, in other words.

In the thumbnail, clockwise from top right, we have The Register's datacenter guru Tobias Mann, security editor Jessica Hardcastle, your host Iain Thomson, and government IT reporter Brandon Vigliarolo. Get to the nucleus of atomic server power (groan) in just a few minutes by tuning in above. ®