Paducah selected as one of four national AI data center sites

PADUCAH, Ky.(KBSI) — The U.S. Department of Energy has selected four sites across the country to develop artificial intelligence data centers and energy generation projects. Paducah, Kentucky, is one of them.

The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant has been chosen for the project, a partnership between the Department of Energy and the Trump administration looking to boost the United States position in the global AI race.

“For us to be chosen as one of the four means that it validates what we’ve been saying for a long time,” said Paducah Mayor George Bray. “The Department of Energy’s site here is very important to this community, not only now, but in the future. It validates Paducah as a nuclear ready community.”

Bray says the city has been actively preparing for the opportunity over the past 90 to 120 days, preparing for the chance that Paducah could emerge as a finalist.

“We knew the U.S. government targeted Paducah, along with other Department of Energy sites,” Bray said. “The reason they did is because the race for AI, nationally and internationally, is really a race against other countries. And under the current administration, we aim to win it.”

With a 75 year legacy as a nuclear community, Bray says this new project represents the next chapter for Paducah.

“It makes me proud that Paducah has been chosen, that we’re on the radar screen of President Trump and the current administration,” he says. “There are several projects looking at the Department of Energy site, and this just confirms that Paducah is a key player in the conversation.”

Bray says that AI’s rapid growth and computing demands are reshaping the global tech industry, and Paducah is honored to be part of the next chapter.

“Everybody is using AI, and the computing requirements to support it are massive,” he said. “We’re just very proud to be part of it.”