Swedish partnership for nuclear-powered data centres

The MoU sets out a framework for collaboration between the three parties. The goal is to assess the commercial and technical viability of co-locating data centres and small modular reactors (SMRs) at Studsvik's licensed site, engage with municipalities and landowners, and define what a future commercial power purchase agreement structure could look like.

The parties will now establish a joint steering committee to evaluate the Nyköping site and business model, with the goal of entering formal partnership negotiations later this year. 

"This collaboration is an opportunity for Sweden to be a leader in digital infrastructure," said Jacob Stedman, CEO of lead-cooled SMR technology developer Blykalla. "It allows us to demonstrate how SMRs can provide the stable, fossil-free energy that is required for the AI revolution. Studsvik's site and Evroc's ambitions offer the right conditions for a groundbreaking project."

Blykalla - formerly called LeadCold - is a spin-off from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where lead-cooled reactor systems have been under development since 1996. The company - founded in 2013 as a joint stock company - is developing the SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor). A demonstration SEALER (SEALER-D) is planned to have a thermal output of 80 MW. Blykalla's goal is for its first 140 MWt SEALER-55 commercial reactor to be ready for operation in the early 2030s.

Karl Thedéen, CEO of nuclear technical services provider Studsvik, added: "Studsvik provides a unique platform of site infrastructure and unique competence to combine advanced nuclear with next-generation industry. This MoU is an important step in evaluating how such synergies can be realised in Sweden."

Studsvik has previously said its Nyköping site is in a strategic location and houses the company's broad expertise in nuclear technology, including fuel and materials technology, reactor analysis software and fuel optimisation, decommissioning and radiation protection services as well as technical solutions for handling, conditioning and volume reduction of radioactive waste.

"The ever-growing demand for AI underscores the urgent need to rapidly deploy massive hypserscale AI infrastructure," said Evroc founder and CEO Mattias Åström. "Through our collaboration with Blykalla and Studsvik, we are exploring a model where Sweden can lead in building climate-neutral digital infrastructure."

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and with development offices in Sophia Antipolis, France, and London, UK, Evroc provides cloud infrastructure, software and services. By 2030, Evroc aims to operate 10 hyperscale data centres, employing thousands of people across Europe.