Argentina wants to attract Big Techs with data centers for nuclear energy AI

Argentina is betting high to position itself as a protagonist in the global technological scenario.

President Javier Milei launched a Ambitious plane which provides for the use of nuclear energy to supply data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence. The key piece of this strategy is the construction of the ACR-300: A compact modular reactor designed to be transportable and mounted on site.

And the country aims not only the domestic use of technology, but also market participation of the project with giants in the technology industry, such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft e Oracle – Although none have confirmed investment so far.

The promise of ACR-300: compact, clean and scalable

The ACR-300 was developed by Invap, the Argentine state company, and received a patent in the United States in 2024.

According to Demian Reidel, Milei’s chief advisor and leader of the new Argentine nuclear council, four units are planned in the initial phase, all with private funding. Therefore, Argentina will not contribute public resources, but will maintain a participation in the project.

AI will multiply energy demand. Nuclear only (energy) offers a clean, stable and climbing source to the right measure. This is my creation. My idea. And we have all the stars aligned to work

Demian Reidelpresidential counselor and nuclear strategy leader

Patagonia and the “nuclear city”: an energy utopia?

The second phase of the plan foresees the uranium extraction and export. The third includes the construction of a “Nuclear City” in Patagonia – A free zone of fossil fuels dedicated exclusively to atomic energy datas. According to Reidel, conversations with companies are at an advanced stage.

San Carlos de Bariloche, where is the headquarters of Invap, would be the heart of the project. The city also houses models of satellites, radars and research reactors, a showcase of national technological capacity.

Schedule under fire: Is it possible to fulfill?

The government foresees that the first ACR-300 be operational in five years. However, experts question the feasibility of this deadline. Koroush Shirvan, a teacher at MIT, recalls that the development of a reactor It demands about 2 million engineering hours. In China, the First SMR took 11 years between construction and operation.

Adriana Serquis, former president of the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), was even more direct: “The ACR-300 has no technical detail. It’s another ad to cheer up the crowd.”

Unstable history and internal resistance

The bet on modular reactors is not unprecedented. In 2014, CNEA started the project Emperorthe first 100% Argentine SMR. But the work was interrupted in 2023, with 85% completed, after budget cuts of the Milei government itself. About 470 workers were dismissed.

The reaction came in the form of a strike, led by technicians and engineers who criticized the end of the project and the salaries outlined. Many ask SMRs to be used primarily to supply isolated communities and outside the national power grid.

Plan includes low -cost modular reactor and fossil fuel -free city, but experts differ on schedule viability

Energy potential and geopolitical obstacles

Despite having significant gas and oil reserves in the formation of Muerta cow – geological formation of the Jurassic superior to the lower Cretaceous, located in the Neuquén Basin, northern Patagonia – the Argentine government sees in SMRs a more sustainable alternative and aligned with AI sector demands: clean energy, reliable e modular.

But there are great challenges ahead: in 2023, 84% of the energy consumed in the country still came from fossil sourcese Only 2% was of nuclear origin. In addition, the approval of SMRs at the local level still faces resistance because they are experimental technologies, According to analyst Niccolò Lombatti, from British consultancy BMI.

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An uncertain bet, but very bold

Com More than 30 data centers already installed in the countryArgentina now wants to attract large infrastructure and high consumption, Something still nonexistent in its territory. For this, bet on the combination of political boldness, technological innovation and international partnerships.

The success or failure of this strategy will depend not only on engineering, but on the articulation capacity with investors, regulatory agencies and a scientific basis that has already shown to be willing to resist when necessary.

Fonte: Buenos Aires Herald