Rosatom explores US partnership for small nuclear plants to power AI data centers

Russia's state nuclear giant is in preliminary talks with the US on reactor-powered data centers, but sanctions stand in the way Russia’s state nuclear corporation wants to help keep America’s AI servers running. Rosatom is in preliminary discussions with the United States about joint projects that would power data centers with small modular reactors and microreactors. The disclosure came from Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, on October 16, 2026. Two countries still divided by sanctions are now talking about sharing reactor plans, which counts as an interesting development in a relationship best described as complicated. What was actually said Dmitriev made the announcement during Russian Energy Week. He said Rosatom is exploring joint data center projects with the US built around two types of compact nuclear technology. The first is the small modular reactor, or SMR. The second is the microreactor, which is smaller still. These are designed for situations where a single facility needs its own dedicated, always-on electricity source. According to the research findings, a concrete list of projects has been suggested, and it would reportedly include severa...