Google Agreed To Buy Electricity From Small Nuclear Reactors To Power AI Energy Demands, With The First Modular Reactor Set To Be Brought Online By 2030
Google has signed the world’s first corporate agreement to buy electricity from multiple small modular reactors to meet energy demands for artificial intelligence operations.
The deal was made between Google and Kairos Power. They are aiming to bring the first small modular reactor online by 2030, with additional deployments continuing through 2035.
The companies did not reveal any financial details of the agreement or the exact locations of where the plants will be built in the United States.
But Google has said that it will purchase a total of 500 megawatts of power from six to seven reactors. In comparison to traditional nuclear reactors, this will be smaller in output but will be greener.
“We feel like nuclear can play an important role in helping to meet our demand…cleanly in a way that’s more around the clock,” said Michael Terrell, the senior director for energy and climate at Google.
Large technology companies have been returning their attention to nuclear power due to the increasing energy consumption of data centers. Artificial intelligence is also boosting demand for power.
Earlier this year, in March, Amazon purchased a nuclear-powered data center. In September, Microsoft signed a deal to help resurrect a unit at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, which was the site of the worst nuclear accident in the U.S. in 1979.
By 2030, the energy demand from data centers is projected to triple and will require an estimated 47 gigawatts of new power generation capacity, according to Goldman Sachs.
Natural gas, wind, and solar power will be the primary energy sources to help meet this demand, but nuclear power may be needed to stay consistent with the requirement.
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The small modular reactors from Kairos Power represent a move toward more versatile nuclear solutions.
They are constructed in factories instead of onsite, which can help cut down costs and reduce construction time.
However, Kairos will need to obtain full approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and local agencies, a process that can take years to finalize. Still, Kairos has already gotten a construction permit from the NRC to build a demonstration reactor in Tennessee.
According to critics, small modular reactors will be expensive because they may struggle to compete with the scale of larger nuclear plants.
In addition, they will still produce long-lasting nuclear waste, a problem that the U.S. does not yet have a final disposal solution for.
Despite these concerns, Google is optimistic about the future of small modular reactors. Their commitment to small modular reactors points to nuclear power becoming more frequently used to meet the energy needs of the age of modern technology.
“We’re confident that this novel approach is going to improve the prospects of our projects being delivered on cost and on schedule,” said Mike Laufer, CEO and co-founder of Kairos.
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