The Savannah River Site will host a 1-gigawatt AI data center, leveraging former nuclear facility infrastructure in South Carolina.

The U.S. Department of Energy has selected engineering company Amentum to develop a one-gigawatt data center and two gigawatts of on-site energy generation at the Savannah River Site in southwest South Carolina, the National Nuclear Security Administration announced Monday. The project will initially rely on natural gas generation before transitioning to nuclear power.

While Amentum has been selected as the developer, negotiations for a phased lease agreement are still ongoing. Amentum will work with partners on the project's development. The end user for the data center has not yet been determined.

The project is structured to build data center infrastructure without burdening utility ratepayers, with the chosen developer bearing the project's costs. This arrangement aligns with broader federal efforts to support domestic AI and data infrastructure growth.

South Carolina has emerged as a regional hub for data center development, with more than 20 facilities built or planned across the state. However, the expansion has faced local resistance, with several counties considering or passing moratoriums on new data center projects.