Google has entered into an settlement with Kairos Power to utilise small nuclear reactors to power its synthetic intelligence (AI) operations.
This deal marks a major shift within the tech trade’s strategy to assembly the escalating energy demands of AI technologies.
The partnership goals to deliver Kairos Power’s first small modular reactor (SMR) on-line by 2030, with further reactors deliberate via 2035.
Collectively, these reactors are anticipated to generate up to 500 megawatts of power, offering a constant and carbon-free vitality supply for Google’s knowledge centres.
“The following era of superior nuclear reactors provides a brand new pathway to speed up nuclear deployment thanks to their simplified design and strong, inherent security,” Google mentioned in an announcement.
Google’s senior director of vitality and local weather emphasised the crucial function of nuclear vitality in supporting clean growth and AI progress. “The grid wants these sorts of fresh, dependable sources of vitality that may assist the build-out of those applied sciences,” he acknowledged throughout a briefing.
This transfer aligns with a rising pattern amongst tech giants searching for sustainable vitality solutions for their expanding AI operations.
Lately, Microsoft introduced plans to utilise vitality from the Three Mile Island nuclear facility, whereas Amazon has invested in a nuclear-powered knowledge centre campus.
The adoption of SMR expertise is seen as a possible game-changer within the nuclear vitality sector. These reactors are extra compact and doubtlessly simpler to deploy than conventional nuclear vegetation. Nevertheless, the expertise remains to be in its early levels and awaits regulatory approval.
Kairos Power’s CEO, Mike Laufer, views this partnership as a major alternative to mature SMR expertise. The corporate’s reactors use a molten-salt cooling system, promising enhanced security and effectivity.
Whereas nuclear vitality provides a constant power supply in contrast to photo voltaic and wind, it stays controversial due to considerations about waste disposal, potential accidents, and excessive prices.
Nonetheless, as AI’s energy demands continue to surge, tech firms are more and more turning to nuclear power as a viable answer for his or her rising vitality wants.