AI data centers may run on nuclear reactors from retired Navy aircraft carriers and submarines

The concept repurposes Cold War-era technology for modern computing needs

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Forward-looking: As more AI data centers are built and power demands increase, companies are looking toward unconventional means of supplying the required juice. One firm has proposed using the nuclear reactors from retired US Navy aircraft carriers and submarines to power an AI data center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

Texas-based HGP Intelligent Energy has sent a proposal to the US Department of Energy about using two former US Navy reactors to provide between 450 and 520 megawatts of constant power.

The Navy uses A4W reactors made by Westinghouse Electric Co. for its Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carriers (CVNs), and S6G-class units made by General Electric for the Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs). The USS Nimitz is on its last deployment before entering retirement, while almost a third of Los Angeles-class SSNs have already been decommissioned.

The proposal claims that repurposing the reactors would cost around $1 million to $4 million per megawatt, which is still a fraction of what it would cost to build a nuclear power plant or a small modular reactor. HGP says that the reactors could be adapted to provide electricity as the grid struggles with rising demand and prices driven by AI use.

Bloomberg reports that HGP's plan would involve a revenue-sharing scheme with the government. The company would also create a decommissioning fund.

The entire project is expected to cost $1.8 billion to $2.1 billion, and the company plans to file for a loan guarantee from the Energy Department.

HGP also argues that reusing naval reactors could dramatically shorten deployment timelines compared to building new nuclear facilities from scratch, which often take more than a decade to permit and construct. Because the reactors were already designed, built, and operated under strict military standards, the company believes regulatory approval could be faster, though it would still require extensive oversight from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy.

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The reactors would be removed from decommissioned vessels and installed in a hardened, land-based facility near Oak Ridge, an area with deep nuclear expertise and existing infrastructure. HGP claims the setup could deliver decades of stable, carbon-free baseload power – an increasingly valuable commodity as AI data centers push grid demand to new highs.

The idea is raising some concerns. Critics point to challenges around transporting and refitting aging reactors, managing nuclear waste, and ensuring long-term safety and security. There are also political and public perception hurdles, particularly around repurposing military nuclear assets for commercial use.