APAC operator Bridge Data Centres is exploring using nuclear energy to power its data centers.

The Bain-owned data center firm this week announced on LinkedIn that it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing and engineering consultancy HY to “jointly assess the feasibility of nuclear power as an alternative clean energy source for next‑generation AI-ready data centers.”

Established in August 1998, A*STAR IHPC is a research institute under Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

The institute said the collaboration will see A*STAR IHPC conduct advanced physics-based simulations to evaluate the risks associated with hydrogen storage and its operational use as a sustainable power source for data centers – which will then inform a follow-up risk assessment focused on the proposed nuclear power plant models and their specific system architectures.

“By collaborating with strong local partners such as A*STAR IHPC and HY, we aim to explore innovative low-carbon energy pathways that will support Singapore’s sustainable digital growth while reinforcing the nation’s position as a trusted global technology hub,” Bridge DC said.

HY is a mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy based in Singapore. The company said the partnership will enable it to develop specialized local expertise in the technical feasibility, deployment, and operational considerations of nuclear energy systems.

“These insights will be shared with relevant stakeholders to strengthen Singapore’s ecosystem and enhance HY’s capabilities in supporting the region’s understanding of long-term nuclear energy applications for the data center industry,” HY said in its own announcement.

Bridge is owned by Bain Capital and is one of the largest operators in the APAC market. Although headquartered in Singapore, most of Bridge’s data centers are in Malaysia.

The firm currently operates two facilities in Cyberjaya, a planned city outside of Kuala Lumpur, with a third in development, and it launched a data center outside Johor in 2022. The company is also targeting developments in India and Thailand.

Bridge last month announced a partnership with Concord Energy to explore renewable and hydrogen solutions to power Bridge’s data center facilities. It has previously signed an agreement with PacificLight to explore hydrogen power in Singapore.

Hyperscalers, including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Meta, are all looking towards nuclear power - tapping both existing capacity and funding nuclear startups. Equinix and Data4 are the most high-profile colocation firms to announce plans to fund small modular reactor projects. This is seemingly the first show of interest in nuclear power from a data center operator in APAC.