Google partners with Kairos Power for AI

Google-Kairos AI
Google-Kairos AI

Google has announced a partnership with nuclear startup Kairos Power to build seven small modular reactors (SMRs) in the US by 2035. The deal aims to add 500 megawatts of nuclear power to help fuel Google’s AI data centers. Kairos Power will need approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the design and construction of these reactors.

The first reactor is expected to be operational by 2030, with the remaining reactors being completed by 2035. This marks the first-ever corporate deal to purchase nuclear power from SMRs.

Financial details of the arrangement were not disclosed, but Google noted that the deal’s structure would help minimize costs and expedite the availability of energy.

Michael Terrell, Google’s senior director for energy and climate, wrote in a blog post, “By procuring electricity from multiple reactors — what experts call an ‘orderbook’ of reactors — we will help accelerate the repeated reactor deployments that are needed to lower costs and bring Kairos Power’s technology to market more quickly.”

The AI boom and its substantial energy requirements have led to several deals between major tech companies and the nuclear industry.

Google’s nuclear energy commitment

In September, Microsoft formed an agreement with Constellation Energy to revive a nuclear unit, and in March, Amazon initiated a project for a nuclear-powered data center in collaboration with Talen Energy.

Large technology companies are investing billions of dollars in nuclear energy as an emissions-free source of electricity for artificial intelligence and other businesses. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have recently struck deals with operators and developers of nuclear power plants to fuel the boom in data centers, which provide computing services to businesses large and small. Big technology companies, which previously invested heavily in wind and solar energy, are now gravitating toward nuclear energy because it provides power around the clock without producing greenhouse gas emissions.

The biggest tech companies have all pledged to power their operations with emissions-free energy by 2030. However, these commitments were made before the recent boom in AI, which has demanded much more energy. “They have a desire to grow all this in a sustainable way, and at the moment the best answer is nuclear,” said Aneesh Prabhu, a managing director at S&P Global Ratings.

As AI continues to expand, the demand for reliable and sustainable power sources will likely drive more tech giants to explore and invest in innovative energy solutions like nuclear power.

Harper Johnson

Harper Johnson stands at the forefront of digital marketing, where she dissects and interprets the impact of online advertising trends, social media dynamics, and search engine algorithms on consumer behavior.

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