Nano Nuclear Energy (NNE 9.62%), the start-up manufacturer of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR), announced this morning that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with artificial intelligence servers powerhouse Super Micro Computer (SMCI 6.42%) stock. In the future, Nano nuclear reactors could become the power behind Super Micro data centers.
And Nano Nuclear stock is up 19.6% through 11:35 a.m. ET today because of it.
Image source: Getty Images.
Nano and Super Micro plan big things together
Broadly speaking, the plan is for the two companies to explore how to use Nano's nuclear microreactors to power Super Micro's AI servers and data centers that incorporate them. The companies note that power demands for AI services are "unprecedented," to the point that nothing short of nuclear power has a chance of keeping up.
The idea, therefore, is to integrate reactors from Nano with data centers from Super Micro, creating an entirely "new class of self-powered, grid-independent AI infrastructure" independent from the existing power grid, and allowing data centers to be built basically anywhere they're needed.
NASDAQ: NNE
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What's next for Nano Nuclear stock?
Herein lie both risks and opportunities. On the risks side, Nano is tying its future growth prospects to Super Micro's growth. Right now, that sounds like a great idea, given Super Micro's strong Q3 earnings report. Sales growth at the company lagged expectations a bit, however, which might illustrate the risk to Nano if growth continues to underwhelm.
On the opportunities side, though, a resurgent Super Micro could give Nano a captive customer base to fuel its own growth. There's even the possibility that Super Micro -- which is clearly not afraid to spend freely -- might buy out Nano and take its power provider in-house.
A far-fetched hypothesis, you say? Perhaps, but let's see how this one plays out.
