Google has announced a major step towards using nuclear energy to meet its growing power demands, especially for AI and data centers. The tech giant will purchase electricity from Kairos Power’s small modular reactors (SMRs), aiming to support its clean energy goals while sending a signal to the market about nuclear energy’s role in a sustainable future.
Michael Terrell, Google’s senior director for energy and climate, highlighted the importance of clean, reliable power, stating that nuclear energy can meet the company’s around-the-clock energy needs. The first reactor is expected to be operational by 2030, with more online by 2035, adding a total of 500 megawatts to the grid.
“We believe that nuclear energy has a critical role to play in supporting our clean growth and helping to deliver on the progress of AI,” Michael Terrell, senior director for energy and climate at Google, said on a call with reporters. “The grid needs these kinds of clean, reliable sources of energy that can support the build out of these technologies. … We feel like nuclear can play an important role in helping to meet our demand, and helping meet our demand cleanly, in a way that’s more around the clock.”
The company did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
SMRs, which are smaller and more flexible than traditional nuclear reactors, are gaining traction as a cost-effective, emissions-free energy source. Google’s move aligns with broader tech industry trends, with companies like Microsoft and Amazon also turning to nuclear power to meet energy demands for data centers while advancing their emissions-reduction targets.
There are only three SMRs that are operating in the world, and none in the U.S. The hope is that SMRs are a more cost-effective way to scale up nuclear power. In the past, large, commercial-scale nuclear reactor projects have run over budget and behind schedule, and many hope SMRs won’t suffer that same fate. But it is uncharted territory to some extent.
Kairos Power, which is backed by the Department of Energy, was founded in 2016. In July, the company began construction on its Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Rather than use water as the reactor coolant – as is used in traditional nuclear reactors – Kairos Power uses molten fluoride salt.
Many hyperscalers have ambitious emissions-reduction targets, which is why they’re turning to nuclear power.
