Data centers in Bonneville County, Idaho: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Bonneville County's one data center proposal is tied to Idaho National Laboratory, whose main offices are in Idaho Falls. In September 2025 the US Department of Energy invited companies to lease lab land for privately funded AI data centers paired with new power sources such as small reactors, geothermal energy and underground thermal storage; the lab's site office had identified about 44,000 acres for the program. Applicants must build, run and decommission their own projects and arrange their own utility hookups, and first applications were due November 7, 2025.

One bidder is reactor developer Deep Atomic, teamed with Clayco, Paragon Energy Solutions, Future-Tech and MoonliteAI. Their plan calls for a data center built around Deep Atomic's MK60 small modular reactor, generating 60 megawatts of electricity and 60 megawatts of cooling for the site. The reactor does not exist yet: the data center would open first, running on grid power, geothermal energy and solar already at the lab, while the MK60 goes through design certification, fabrication and commissioning over the following two to three years. Omdia analyst Alan Howard told The Register he expects reactor-powered data centers to become common "around 2035," adding, "I hope I'm wrong and it's sooner." The Energy Department has not said whether it will accept Deep Atomic's bid or any of the others submitted for the lab's land.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.