The Mountain View giant signed an innovative agreement with Kairos Power to acquire small modular reactors that will power its artificial intelligence operations.
Google has announced an agreement with the startup Kairos Power to purchase energy from small modular reactors in order to meet the growing demand for electricity generated by artificial intelligence. According to the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore , this is the first corporate agreement of its kind in the world. The Alphabet group, which controls Google, plans to use this energy to power its data processing centers , thus responding to the increase in energy consumption linked to current technology.
What do we know about the agreement?
The deal calls for 500 megawatts of power to be supplied from six or seven modular reactors, a smaller number than conventional nuclear reactors, which produce up to 1,000 megawatts per plant. Kairos Power’s first reactor is expected to start operations in 2030, with further installations planned through 2035. Financial details and plant locations have not yet been disclosed.
Google’s Senior Director of Energy and Climate, Michael Terrell, says nuclear power could play a key role in meeting the growing demand for clean and continuous energy , especially to power advanced technologies such as AI. The ability to supply power around the clock is a crucial factor in supporting computing infrastructures.
Big Tech is looking for new alternatives
The interest of the tech giants in nuclear energy is growing. In March 2024 alone, Amazon bought a data centre powered by a nuclear reactor from the energy production company Talen Energy; while Microsoft signed a similar agreement with Constellation Energy to reactivate a unit of the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania, the most questioned nuclear power plant in the United States.
This trend is fueled in part by estimates from global investment banking leader Goldman Sachs that energy consumption by US data centers will triple between 2023 and 2030, requiring an additional 47 gigawatts of capacity.
