Google has signed an agreement to use small nuclear reactors to power its data centers serving artificial intelligence.
To do this, the company signed a contract with Kairos Power, a developer of small modular reactors. The first of them is planned to be launched by 2030, and several additional reactors will be installed by 2035.
The Kairos Power technology involves the use of molten salt cooling together with pelletized fuel. This heat is transferred to a steam turbine to generate electricity. This approach allows the reactor to operate at low pressure, which makes the design simpler and cheaper. Last year, for the first time in half a century, U.S. regulators granted Kairos Power a permit to build a new type of nuclear reactor. In July, the company began construction of a demonstration reactor in Tennessee.
Google says the deal will add up to 500 megawatts of new carbon-free energy to the U.S. grid.
“The grid needs new sources of electricity to support artificial intelligence technologies that are powering major scientific advances, improving services for businesses and customers, and driving national competitiveness and economic growth. This agreement helps accelerate new technology to meet energy needs cleanly and reliably and unlock the full potential of AI for all,” said Michael Terrell, senior director of energy and climate at Google.
Google hopes the deal will provide a low-carbon solution to power data centers that require huge amounts of electricity. The Alphabet-owned company said that nuclear power is a “clean, round-the-clock source of electricity that can help us reliably meet our electricity needs.” Media reports note that these initiatives are yet to be approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and relevant local authorities.
The explosive development of generative artificial intelligence and cloud storage has increased the need for electricity for tech companies. In March, Amazon acquired a nuclear-powered data center in Pennsylvania from Talen Energy. And in September, Microsoft signed an agreement to restart the first unit of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, also in Pennsylvania. This unit had been in operation for more than 50 years but was shut down in 2019 due to financial difficulties. The second power unit, which suffered a serious accident in 1979, will no longer be operated. However, this decision still needs to be authorized at the federal, state and local levels.