Amazon Web Services (AWS) is hiring a principal nuclear engineer to join its data center engineering power generation solutions team.
The previously unreported job listing mentions working with external partners to influence the design of "operationally efficient and safe modular nuclear plants" to support its growing cloud power demands.
The hire is expected to have experience with the design and operation of both utility-scale and small modular (SMR) nuclear power plants, and will build the "internal and external nuclear product and fuel strategy roadmaps" for AWS data centers.
The role will also involve doing due diligence on "specific power projects," and building relations with the US Department of Energy and regulatory bodies.
"The candidate must navigate the permitting and regulatory processes to help AWS deliver capacity-enabling projects," the listing states.
The job listing comes after AWS in March acquired Talen Energy’s data center campus next to the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania for $650 million. At the time, it was said to be able to support up to 960MW. In May, AWS was granted a 1,600-acre rezoning request to develop 15 data center buildings.
With AI data center power demands increasing rapidly, just as the grid hits a capacity crunch, AWS and others are looking to utility-scale and SMR nuclear power plants.
Over the past 12 months, Microsoft hired Archie Manoharan as director of nuclear technologies, joining from micro modular reactor company Ultra Safe Nuclear, and Erin Henderson as head of nuclear development acceleration, joining from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Update: Today, the company also announced that it would sign a 20-year, 835MW PPA to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant.
This April, colocation and interconnection giant Equinix signed a 500MW PPA deal with fast fission firm Oklo. Two months later, Wyoming Hyperscale (now Prometheus Hyperscale) signed a 100MW deal with the company. Both are reliant on Oklo deploying its reactors, something it and rival SMRs have yet to do.
Earlier this month, Oracle founder Larry Ellison revealed that his company planned to build a 1GW data center campus backed by three SMRs. The company has yet to reveal where it is building the data center, nor which SMR company it is partnering with.
"Everyone keeps asking me that," Melanie Kiely, head of global site selection & expansion strategy, told DCD at our Connect event in London this week, declining to answer the question.
