Oracle company offices in Texas, US. (Image: Adobe Stock)

Oracle鈥檚 chairman and chief technology officer Larry Ellison told investors in an earnings call for the company鈥檚 Q1 2025 results that demand for data centres had become so 鈥渃razy鈥� that the company is considering the use of new forms of nuclear power.

It is also planning to build bigger data centres of more than a gigawatt 鈥� so far, the largest of the Oracle鈥檚 162 data centres either operational or under construction is 800MW.

The huge demand for data centres worldwide, driven by artificial intelligence, continues to grow but there are fears construction could be constrained in future due to insufficient electricity.

Meanwhile, SMRs have been touted as a new form of carbon-free energy, with plants in theory quicker and easier to build than larger, conventional nuclear power stations. However, SMRs have so far failed to deliver on their promise.

Ellison did not reveal where Oracle would build the first of its gigawatt-scale data centres or when construction could start.

Data centre construction is hitting new heights but capacity fears loom Data centre builds continue to be a red hot sub-sector of the construction industry 

What now for small modular nuclear reactor construction after high-profile project鈥檚 failure? What does the cancellation of NuScale鈥檚 Carbon Free Power Project mean for the future construction of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs)?