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Google is turning to nuclear energy to help power its AI initiatives. On Monday, the company announced a partnership with the startup Kairos Power to construct seven small nuclear reactors in the United States. The objective of this deal is to add 500 megawatts of nuclear power from these small modular reactors (SMRs) by the end of the decade. The first reactor is anticipated to be operational by 2030, with the remaining ones expected to become functional by 2035.
This marks the first-ever corporate agreement to purchase nuclear power from SMRs. Small modular reactors are smaller than traditional reactors, with components manufactured in a factory rather than on-site, potentially reducing construction costs compared to large-scale plants.
Kairos will require the approval of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for design and construction permits for their plans. The startup has already received approval for a demonstration reactor in Tennessee, with a target online date of 2027. The company also develops test units (excluding nuclear-fuel components) at a development facility in Albuquerque, NM, where it evaluates components, systems, and its supply chain.
The companies did not disclose the financial details of the agreement. Google states that the structure of the deal will help lower costs and expedite the availability of the energy.
“By procuring electricity from multiple reactors — what experts call an ‘orderbook’ of reactors — we will help accelerate the repeated reactor deployments that are needed to lower costs and bring Kairos Power’s technology to market more quickly,” Michael Terrell, Google’s senior director for energy and climate, wrote in a blog post. “This is an important part of our approach to scale the benefits of advanced technologies to more people and communities and builds on our previous efforts.”
The AI boom — and the enormous amount of data center power it demands — has prompted several collaborations between Big Tech companies and the nuclear industry. In September, Microsoft established an agreement with Constellation Energy to bring a unit of the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania back online. In March, Amazon purchased a nuclear-powered data center from Talen Energy.
