Idaho Data Center News

Apr 9, 2026

Inside AMPERA’s Bet on Subcritical Thorium Microreactors

AMPERA announced plans to manufacture sealed, factory-produced subcritical thorium microreactors in 40-foot shipping-container form factors and to pursue prototypes, NRC engagement, lab partnerships, and a leasing/PPA business model.

Main announcement: AMPERA intends to produce containerized, factory-sealed subcritical thorium reactors that run for 30 years without refueling, with a non-fueled prototype by end-2026, a fueled prototype by end-2027, and first commercial deliveries in 2028–2029; the design targets ~15 MWe per reactor core (30 MWth → ~15 MWe) and a 30-MWe commercial option using two cores, and the company plans an eventual manufacturing rate of ~300 units per year from a contemplated 300,000-square-foot production facility near Palm Beach Gardens.
Background and implementation details: AMPERA submitted a pre-application letter to the NRC on Feb. 23, 2026, requesting an initial meeting by the end of May under 10 CFR Part 53; it is finalizing an agreement with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for TRISO fuel work and exploring testing with Idaho National Laboratory; the company will retain ownership and operate units under leases / power purchase agreements, use TRISO fuel made from natural thorium (no enrichment), proprietary liquid-metal jetting fuel fabrication protected by 66 global patents, and plans a London regional headquarters for UK/Europe expansion.

Apr 3, 2026

Fast-tracking nuclear facilities raises worker safety concerns

The U.S. Department of Energy has eliminated the ALARA radiation exposure directive in a January 9 memo by Secretary Chris Wright.

Main action:DOE eliminated the ALARA directive (Jan 9 memo by Secretary Chris Wright), citing a “flawed risk calculus” and referencing a 2025 Idaho National Laboratory finding; action is tied to President Trump’s 2025 executive order to speed nuclear development and is intended to reduce regulatory burdens while keeping statutory exposure limits set by DOE/NRC in place. The memo states ALARA imposes “excessive economic and operational burdens without corresponding health benefits.” Potential immediate effects described in the article include less concrete shielding and longer worker shifts, per quoted experts.
Background and detail: The article documents that ALARA was introduced in the late 1970s and codified by DOE in 1993, notes critics including Kathryn Huff, Bradley Clawson, and Edwin Lyman, and records industry context: hyperscalers (Amazon, Meta, Google) backing small modular reactors, with Amazon saying it invested more than $1 billion in nuclear projects in the last year. DOE told NPR the moves “will increase innovation in the industry without jeopardizing safety.”

Apr 2, 2026

States Race to Win the Tech Economy in 2026 State of the State Addresses

Broadband and technology were prioritized across nearly 30 governors’ 2026 State of the State addresses.

Main announcement: Governors across the country emphasized broadband expansion, AI policy and workforce development, and data center/energy planning; specific claims include Maine reporting “more than a quarter million homes and businesses” served, Wisconsin reporting 410,000 businesses and households with new or improved internet, Kansas connecting 117,000 households and businesses, and the Virgin Islands reporting a territory-wide internet program with over 50,000 users per month. The addresses also included concrete funding and contract figures: Maryland announced a $4 million AI workforce training investment, and South Dakota cited a $35 million Department of Defense contract for warhead production.
Background and other details: Governors described partnerships and policy actions: Maryland cited collaborations with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Microsoft, a South Korean biotech firm, and AstraZeneca for AI work; Iowa cited partnerships with Amazon Web Services and Google Public Sector to modernize state systems; several governors (Indiana, New York, Nebraska) debated who should shoulder data center energy costs or accelerate permitting; some states (New Hampshire, Delaware, South Carolina) signaled nuclear energy pathways and DOE engagement. Implementation timelines are those stated in addresses (2026) and referenced ongoing programs and contracts (e.g., South Dakota’s $35 million DoD contract already awarded).

Apr 1, 2026

Leadership Updates: Key Data Center &amp; Cloud Appointments (Q2 2026)

Data Center Knowledge has launched a new quarterly series highlighting leadership changes across the data center and cloud industries.

Main announcement: The roundup catalogs multiple executive appointments across operators and vendors, including Michael Lahoud named CEO of Stream Data Centers (after 15 years with the firm), Stream’s new hyperscale and sustainability hires (Stacy Medeiros, Santiago Suinaga, Oisín Ó Murchú, Rick Crutchley, Amanda Abell), John Bates named EVP of development and power at Prime Data Centers, Gary Wojtaszek appointed executive chairman and interim CEO of Pure Data Centres Group, and Vantage Data Centers’ appointments of Alicia Ruckteschler (CPO) and Scott Beasley (CFO).
Background and other details: The article lists additional vendor and advisory hires (e.g., Michael Maiello at Mission Critical Group; Doug Recker as CEO of Duos Technologies; Andrew Lake at Element Critical; Andrew Worley at Skeleton Technologies), cites Pure DC’s recent Europe’s first data center microgrid and >1 GW of capacity live/under development, references CyrusOne’s $15 billion acquisition by KKR and Global Infrastructure Partners, and notes DataBank’s board additions and the editorial contact editors@datacenterknowledge.com.

Mar 24, 2026

The Northwest Hasn’t Learned the Lessons of WPPSS (“Whoops”)

Laura Feinstein (Sightline Institute) argues that leaders should avoid building new gas-fired power plants in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and instead prioritize data center flexibility, demand response, energy efficiency, and transmission expansion to address near-term resource adequacy concerns.

Main action and evidence: The piece urges policymakers and regulators to require utilities and large electricity users to exhaust large-load flexibility and demand-side measures before approving fossil fuel infrastructure; cites a September 2025 E3 Phase 1 analysis that reported an 8.7 GW shortfall by 2030 (commonly rounded to 9 GW), which shrinks to roughly 5.6 GW when already planned resources (e.g., Carriger solar, PacifiCorp conversions) are counted. The article highlights alternatives with concrete figures: a Duke University estimate that 3.8 GW could be gained if data centers reduced power about one week per year, and a Sylvan Energy Analytics review showing data-center curtailment can eliminate the gap in multiple scenarios.
Background and concrete details: The article documents utilities’ recent actions and legislative context: PSE has contracted for six new gas turbines (filing redacted), Grant PUD approved a (temporary) 12 MW natural gas plant, PSE’s voluntary demand response currently reduces <2% of peak demand and Washington law requires ramping to 10% savings starting 2027; it notes the U.S. Department of Energy used the E3 report to justify keeping a coal plant online past Dec 31, 2025. The author characterizes the piece as an opinion/analysis urging precaution and policy alternatives rather than announcing a new transaction or partnership.

Mar 19, 2026

Nuclear Sprint: DOE and Industry Race to Meet Trump’s Target

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources convened March 19 to examine DOE implementation of President Trump’s May 2025 nuclear energy executive orders.

Main announcement/action: The hearing presented DOE and witnesses’ roadmap to expand U.S. nuclear capacity from ~100 GW today to 400 GW by 2050, with an executive-order milestone of three reactors achieving criticality by July 4, 2026; near-term measures include a $1 billion loan for the Crane Restart (expected 835 MW by 2028), Palisades restart (~800 MW) this summer, and reactor uprates adding ~2.5 GW by 2027 and ~5 GW by 2029. The DOE announced three $900 million enrichment awards, and Kairos Power is operating under a $303 million milestone-based technology investment agreement and a PPA to deliver up to 50 MW (part of up to 500 MW by 2035 with Google/TVA).
Background and other details: Witnesses flagged fuel supply vulnerabilities (Russia supplied ~20–25% of U.S. enriched uranium in 2024; a >3 million SWU gap exists), HALEU production gaps (no commercial-scale HALEU outside Russia/China), lithium-7 shortages for molten-salt reactors, INL facility timelines (e.g., DOME completion by March 31, 2026), participation in the Reactor Pilot Program (10 companies, 11 projects), and statutory/ export measures including the International Nuclear Energy Act of 2025 authorizing $65.5 million for export support and a Poland $47 billion AP1000 selection.

Mar 19, 2026

US Roundup: solar-plus-storage projects advance across the country

Google and DTE Energy have announced plans to develop a data centre project in Michigan (Project Cannoli) supported by 1,600MW of solar PV and 450MW of energy storage, with Google funding the resources and DTE operating them under a 20-year Clean Capacity Accelerator Agreement (CCAA).

Main announcement: Google and DTE will deliver 1,600MW of solar PV paired with 450MW of storage (specified as 400MW/1,600MWh BESS plus 50MW of LDES), under a 20-year CCAA; Google will provide DTE with approximately 300MW of Zonal Resource Credits (ZRCs) at no cost and commit US$10 million to programmes to reduce household energy bills in Michigan.
Additional details & background: The filing identifies the site as Project Cannoli (potentially in Van Buren Township); Google recently closed a US$4.75 billion acquisition of TPG Rise Climate’s Intersect Power stake and has announced multi‑billion data centre and AI capital plans (Google cited US$40 billion for three Texas data centres and US$185 billion in AI‑related capex for the year). Related US project announcements in the article include: Sunraycer (620MWdc solar, 477MWh BESS in Texas), Invenergy/SRP SunDog (200MW solar + 200MW/800MWh BESS in Arizona), Idemitsu Azalea (60MW/152MWh operating in California), and Clēnera’s US$304 million financing for the 120MW/400MWh Crimson Orchard project in Idaho.

Mar 18, 2026

rPlus Energies secures over $650m for Blacks Creek solar facility

rPlus Energies has announced that it has secured financing commitments to build the Blacks Creek Energy Centre.

Main announcement: rPlus Energies obtained more than $650m in debt and tax equity financing commitments to construct the Blacks Creek Energy Centre (400MWac / 520MWdc) in Ada County, Idaho; debt facilities are led by Santander Corporate & Investment Banking and KeyBanc Capital Markets, and Santander also provided a tax equity financing commitment. Upon the project’s commercial operation the construction-stage financing will convert to a long-term loan facility.
Background and other details: The project will supply solar electricity into Idaho Power’s grid, including to Meta’s data centre in Kuna, Idaho; rPlus already has nearly 1GW of projects in Ada County (operating, under construction or contracted), Pleasant Valley Solar 2 is expected to begin commercial operation in spring 2026, and legal counsel roles were provided by Latham & Watkins, Dorsey & Whitney (for rPlus) and Milbank, Parsons Behle & Latimer (for Santander and KeyBanc) regarding debt and tax equity arrangements.

Mar 17, 2026

Chip wafer shortage will run through 2030 as AI demand overwhelms supply: SK Hynix chief

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won warned the global semiconductor wafer shortage could continue until 2030.

Main announcement: Chey said the industry faces a wafer deficit of more than 20% and expects at least four to five years of capacity building; he attributed the squeeze to AI-driven HBM demand and said SK Hynix (holding 57% of global HBM and 32% of overall DRAM) is preparing a plan to stabilise DRAM prices (details not disclosed).
Background/details: Industry analysts (Greyhound Research, Gartner, IDC) describe the issue as a structural reallocation of memory toward AI workloads; IDC projects 2026 DRAM and NAND supply growth of 16% and 17%, Samsung’s P5 facility is expected online by 2028, and new fab capacity will be largely optimised for AI workloads, limiting near-term relief for conventional enterprise demand.

Mar 12, 2026

DOE Unveils Initiative to Add 5 GW of Nuclear Capacity Through Uprates and Restarts

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort (UPRISE) to accelerate nuclear uprates, restarts, and life extensions with targets of 2.5 GW by 2027 and 5 GW by 2029.

Main announcement/action:UPRISE unveiled March 12 will focus on power uprates, license renewals, restarts, and plant efficiency optimization, delivering 2.5 GW by 2027 and 5 GW by 2029 through targeted technical support to owners and the NRC, matchmaking workshops between plants and large end-users, and expanded use of federal loan authority to de‑risk investments.
Background and concrete details: DOE/EDF provide financial and program support including EDF loan authority > $289 billion (can fund up to 80% of eligible project costs); specific restart loans include a $1.52 billion DOE loan guarantee for Palisades (800 MW, Holtec targeting 2026) and a $1 billion DOE loan for Crane (Constellation’s ~ $1.6 billion restart, 835 MW, possible 2027 online under a Microsoft contract); Duane Arnold is a candidate for restart targeting ~2029 with a PPA announced by NextEra/Google; NEI and NRC pipeline data cited (NEI: >8 GWe potential from fleet; NRC: ~30 expected uprates through 2030 representing ~2.5 GWe).

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