Google’s Big Bet on Small Nuclear Reactors to Power AI
Google has made a groundbreaking deal with Kairos Power to purchase electricity from small nuclear reactors. This marks the first agreement of its kind. This is a part of Google's plan to use clean energy to meet the growing power needs of its artificial intelligence systems.
The agreement will give Google with 500 megawatts of electricity. They will be produced from six or seven small modular reactors manufactured by Kairos Power. The first reactor is expected to be functional by 2030. Additional to come by 2035.
The exact locations and financial details haven’t been shared. This move shows Google’s commitment to nuclear energy as a stable and low carbon option. As AI driven data centers use more power traditional energy sources may not be enough. By 2030 these centers could require three times the electricity they used in 2023. Nuclear energy can offer a constant power supply. It is essential for AI workloads that run around the clock.
Google is not the only tech giant looking at nuclear power. Amazon has just bought a nuclear powered data center while Microsoft worked with Constellation Energy to rebuild a reactor at the famous Three Mile Island facility.
SMRs are smaller and less expensive to develop than conventional nuclear reactors. Their pieces are manufactured in factories and assembled on site. This speeds up the process. However critics argue that SMRs could still be expensive and won’t generate as much power as larger plants. Plus they will produce nuclear waste, and the US doesn’t yet have a permanent solution for storing it.
Kairos Power has already secured a permit to build a test reactor in Tennessee. However it will take years to get full approval for larger reactors. By committing to buy multiple reactors from Kairos Google is showing its confidence in SMR technology and helping speed up their development.
This deal represents a significant step forward in the future of nuclear energy. If successful small reactors could play a big role in powering AI and other technologies while reducing carbon emissions.
