Google signs nuclear deal to power AI data centres

Google has struck a deal with a nuclear power start-up to provide low-carbon energy for its data centres and AI operations, marking a world-first in the tech industry.
The California-based company said the agreement to buy energy from multiple small modular reactors developed by Kairos Power could help spur a nuclear revival in America.
The first reactor is scheduled to come online in America by 2030, followed by additional deployments through 2035.
Google, which is based in Mountain View, California, and owns and operates data centres around the world, has agreed to buy a total of 500 megawatts of power from six to seven reactors. It did not reveal where in America the plants would be built.
Google, owned by Alphabet, joins Amazon, Microsoft and Oracle in seeking a clean-energy solution to meet the growing appetite for electricity to power the data centres needed for technologies such as AI and cloud computing.
US data centre power use is expected to roughly triple between 2023 and 2030 and will require about 47 gigawatts of new generation capacity, according to research by Goldman Sachs.
In March, Amazon Web Services agreed to buy a nuclear-powered data centre and as much as 960 megawatts of capacity from Talen Energy, an independent power producer.
Last month Microsoft signed a deal to help resurrect a unit of the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania, the site of America’s worst nuclear power plant disaster in 1979.
Kairos, founded in 2016, is developing small nuclear reactors designed to be safer and more efficient than traditional nuclear reactors. Its demonstration reactor in Tennessee is due to be completed in 2027.
Google said the technology uses a molten-salt cooling system, combined with fuel, to efficiently transport heat to a steam turbine to generate power.
The technology allows the reactor to operate at low pressure, enabling a simpler, more affordable nuclear reactor design. The smaller size and modular design can reduce construction timelines, allow deployment in more places and make the final project delivery more predictable.
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.”
Kairos will need to get a construction and design permit from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission as well as permits from local agencies to develop the reactors.
Jeffrey Olson, vice-president for business development and finance at Kairos Power, said the deal would “catalyse the commercialisation of advanced nuclear power plants — a technology imperative to driving the energy transition forward — which will add critical carbon-free capacity to the grid”.
He said the agreement “enables the expansion of advanced carbon-free energy not only for Google, but for the grid as a whole”.
Google said that by committing to a so-called order book framework with Kairos, instead of buying one reactor at a time, it is sending a demand signal to the market and making a long-term investment to speed development of small modular reactors (SMRs).
In the UK, companies are bidding to be selected by the government to develop their SMR technologies as ministers aim to revive its nuclear industry. One of the bidders, Rolls-Royce SMR, received a significant boost last month when it was selected by the Czech government to build a fleet of reactors.