How Small Modular Reactors Will Raise The Stakes In Data Center Perimeter Security

The future of data centers will soon take shape near Richland, Washington, where Amazon plans to build one of the first small modular reactors, or SMRs, to help power artificial intelligence and cloud applications while supplementing the local energy grid.

The nuclear Cascade Advanced Energy Facility, projected to begin operations in the next decade, will address some of the most vexing issues facing data centers, including the industry’s nearly insatiable appetite for reliable power to keep pace with the AI boom. It will also support Amazon’s own commitment to carbon-free operations. 

Teresa Giralt, a data center security expert for Ameristar Perimeter Security, expects data center operators like Amazon will prioritize security concerns as they embrace nuclear power.

“The idea of SMRs completely changes how we have to think about data center security because you’re not just protecting a facility anymore — you’re protecting a power source,” Giralt said. “That requires a much higher level of physical security, tighter oversight and closer coordination between cybersecurity, operations and the physical perimeter.”

In this scenario, “the fence line isn’t just a boundary — it’s the first line of national defense,” Giralt said.

Amazon isn’t alone in taking a serious look at nuclear power. Other tech leaders including Meta and Microsoft have signed purchase agreements with nuclear plant operators to power hyperscale facilities.

Some, like Amazon, are also looking at supplying their energy needs with SMRs, which are small-scale energy-generating plants with about one-third of the capacity of conventional nuclear power reactors. 

On-site SMRs will require data center operators to start thinking like nuclear power plants in terms of security, Giralt said. Many questions will need to be answered, but data centers are adapting quickly, she said.

“Most operators are still figuring out what having an SMR on-site really means, because it’s a big shift in how sites are designed and secured,” Giralt said. “But this industry moves quickly when it needs to, and I think we’ll start seeing new partnerships between data center operators, regulators and manufacturers to get ahead of it.”

She said security experts must be part of those conversations from Day 1 as data centers consider layered protection, barriers, fencing, surveillance, active threat detection and other strategies to harden their sites even more against intruders. The earlier security is discussed, the more effective those measures will be, she added.

In her visits to data centers across the country, Giralt said security teams she speaks with are focused on how nuclear power will impact their facilities’ risk levels.

“They understand that we can’t keep designing for yesterday’s threats,” she said. “There’s a big push toward integrating physical and digital security and bringing in manufacturers earlier in the process to make sure nothing gets overlooked at the perimeter level.”

Giralt will lead a lunch-and-learn session at Bisnow’s Data Center Investment Conference and Expo in San Jose, California, on Dec. 3. Click here for more information.

Adding nuclear to the mix will raise safety considerations in any environment. But on the West Coast, Giralt said the challenges are compounded by strict permitting and the ever-present threats of earthquakes and wildfires in many coastal regions. 

“It’s a completely different risk environment there,” she said. “On top of that, a lot of these projects are being built in tighter, more populated areas, so security has to be both strong and subtle. You have to find that balance between keeping the site secure and blending into the community.”

Those are difficult needles to thread, but Giralt said they can be accomplished with the input of safety experts early in the design process and throughout the project. A vendor such as Ameristar Perimeter Security can offer guidance concerning a data center’s property line and offer solutions to counter existing and future threats.

Giralt said she hopes the Bisnow event will serve as a forum to help operators understand the risks they face and steps they can take to protect themselves and their neighbors.

“My biggest hope for our panel is that it will reinforce that security isn’t just a checkbox or a line item — it’s an investment in reliability and reputation,” she said. “With the growth of AI, SMRs and power demands, security has to evolve, too. I want people to leave the event thinking about data center security from the outside in: starting at the perimeter and building a strategy that protects everything inside it.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Ameristar Perimeter Security and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.