Google said in a statement that this deal is the first of its kind in the world, and aims to purchase nuclear energy from small reactors (SMR) that will be developed by Kairos Power. The first phase of the agreement is scheduled to see a small nuclear reactor operational by 2030, followed by the deployment of additional reactors until 2035.
“This deal will enable up to 500 megawatts of new, carbon-free energy to be delivered 24/7 to U.S. power grids and help more communities benefit from clean, affordable nuclear energy,” Google said in a statement.
And it did not come forward.”Google“or”Kairos Power“Any details about the value of the deal or where the stations will be built.
Artificial intelligence data centers require huge amounts of energy, which is one of the most important challenges facing the launch of this new technology.
According to Goldman Sachs, it is expected that energy consumption in global data centers will more than double by the end of the current decade.
To meet this growing demand for energy to power data centers, technology companies are turning to renewable sources such as nuclear, solar and wind power, trying to reduce emissions even as they use more energy.
“The ultimate goal here is 24/7 carbon-free energy,” said Michael Terrill, senior director of energy and climate at Alphabet Inc’s Google.
“We feel that in order to achieve round-the-clock clean energy goals, we will need technologies that complement wind, solar, and lithium-ion storage,” he added.
“We believe nuclear energy plays a critical role in supporting our clean growth and helping advance artificial intelligence,” Terrell said.
“The power grid needs these types of clean, reliable energy sources that can support the construction of these technologies… We feel that nuclear power can play an important role in helping meet our demand, helping meet our demand in a clean, more around-the-clock way.” , according to what Terrell said.
Google and Kairos Power’s plans still need approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission as well as local agencies before they are allowed to go ahead, according to a BBC report.
Last year, US regulators granted California-based Kairos Power the first permit in 50 years to build a new type of nuclear reactor, and in July, the company began building an experimental reactor in Tennessee.
The startup specializes in developing smaller reactors that use molten fluoride salt as a coolant instead of water, which is used by conventional nuclear power plants.
There are only three small nuclear reactors operating in the world, and none of them are in the United States. The hope is that small nuclear reactors will be a more cost-effective way to expand nuclear power, rather than large reactors that require huge budgets and take a long time to implement.
It is noteworthy that Google’s move comes after Microsoft reached an agreement last month to restart operations at a nuclear power plant on Three Mile Island, the site of the worst nuclear accident in America in 1979. Amazon also announced in March that it would buy a nuclear-powered data center in Pennsylvania.
