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Datacenters as Grid Assets: Regulatory Turning Point and the Nuclear Pivot

Publisher IDC
Published Feb 12, 2026
Length 5 Pages
SKU # IDC20878044

Description

This IDC Market Note explores the latest developments in the relations between datacenters and the utility grid, coupled with the latest related regulations in the United States and their impact on the datacenter market. Surging AI-driven datacenter energy demand is outpacing grid capacity, prompting a regulatory shift that repositions datacenters as active grid assets. Federal and state initiatives, including the DOE's emergency orders and Texas SB 6, now require datacenters to support grid reliability. The government's "nuclear + compute" strategy, fast-tracked by EO 14301, is accelerating modular nuclear deployment to provide scalable, carbon-neutral power but introduces new operational and financial challenges for datacenter operators.

Table of Contents

5 Pages

Executive Snapshot

Key takeaways

In This Market Note

The 2026 winter directive: Datacenters as emergency reserves

Texas Senate Bill 6

The nuclear reform

A regulatory paradigm shift

The nuclear reactor pilot program

IDC's Point of View

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Synopsis

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