In what is heralded as a world first, the search giant has signed a deal to buy power from a fleet of mini nuclear reactors
Google has signed what is said to be a “world first” deal to buy energy from a fleet of mini nuclear reactors to power datacentres for AI. The Guardian reports that Google has “ordered six or seven small nuclear reactors (SMRs) from Californian firm Kairos Power, with the first due to be completed by 2030 and the remainder by 2035”.
Neither the locations of the plants nor financial details were disclosed beyond Google having agreed to buy a total of 500 megawatts of power from Kairos, founded in 2016. It is building a demonstration reactor in Tennessee which is scheduled for completion in 2027.
Google, which is owned by Alphabet, said nuclear provided “a clean, round-the-clock power source that can help us reliably meet electricity demands” in this blog. The explosive growth of GenAI and public cloud, has massively increased tech companies’ electricity demands.
A growing trend
In September, Microsoft signed a 20-year deal with the dormant nuclear plant Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania which was the site of the US’ worst nuclear accident in 1979. The deal with Microsoft is awaiting approval.
Amazon bought a datacentre powered by nuclear energy in March from Talen Energy.
Michael Terrell, Senior Director for Energy and Climate at Google, said, “The grid needs new electricity sources to support AI technologies that are powering major scientific advances, improving services for businesses and customers, and driving national competitiveness and economic growth.
“This agreement helps accelerate a new technology to meet energy needs cleanly and reliably, and unlock the full potential of AI for everyone.”
Action in the UK
The UK government is soliciting bids from companies to develop their SMR technologies as the administration looks to revive the UK’s nuclear industry. Rolls-Royce SMR is one of the UK companies that is bidding. Last month the Czech government chose it to build a fleet of reactors.