Individuals take pictures in entrance of a large Google brand at Google’s Bay View campus in Mountain View, California on Aug 13, 2024 the place the “Made by Google” media occasion was held in the present day.
Josh Edelson | AFP | Getty Photos
Google stated Monday that it’ll buy energy from small modular reactor developer Kairos Energy, as tech firms more and more flip to nuclear energy as a solution to fulfill the rising vitality calls for from information facilities.
The tech big stated it can buy energy from a fleet of SMRs made by Kairos Energy. Google stated buying from a number of SMRs sends an “vital demand sign to the market,” whereas making a long-term funding to speed up commercialization.
“We imagine that nuclear vitality has a essential position to play in supporting our clear development and serving to to ship on the progress of AI,” Michael Terrell, senior director for vitality and local weather at Google, stated on a name with reporters. “The grid wants these sorts of fresh, dependable sources of vitality that may help the construct out of those applied sciences. … We really feel like nuclear can play an vital position in serving to to fulfill our demand, and serving to meet our demand cleanly, in a method that is extra across the clock.”
The corporate didn’t disclose the monetary phrases of the deal.
There are solely three SMRs which are working on the earth, and none within the U.S. The hope is that SMRs are a cheaper solution to scale up nuclear energy. Up to now, massive, commercial-scale nuclear reactor initiatives have run over funds and not on time, and lots of hope SMRs will not endure that very same destiny. However it’s uncharted territory to some extent.
Kairos Energy, which is backed by the Division of Vitality, was based in 2016. In July, the corporate started building on its Hermes Low-Energy Demonstration Reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Slightly than use water because the reactor coolant – as is utilized in conventional nuclear reactors – Kairos Energy makes use of molten fluoride salt.
Google stated the primary reactor can be on-line by 2030, with extra reactors going reside via 2035. In whole, 500 megawatts can be added to the grid. That is a lot smaller than industrial reactors — Unit 4 at Plant Vogtle, which got here on-line this yr, is 1.1 gigawatts, for instance — however there’s lots of momentum behind SMRs. Advocates level to decrease prices, quicker completion instances, and site flexibility.
Monday’s announcement is one other instance of the rising partnership between tech firms and nuclear energy. Information facilities want 24/7 dependable energy, and proper now nuclear is the one supply of emissions-free baseload energy. Many hyperscalers have formidable emissions-reduction targets, which is why they’re turning to nuclear energy.
Constellation Vitality is restarting Three Mile Island to energy Microsoft information facilities, whereas Amazon purchased an information middle from Talen Vitality that is powered by the Susquehanna nuclear energy plant. Invoice Gates, Sam Altman and Jeff Bezos have all backed nuclear firms.
Earlier this yr, Google stated its emissions have grown practically 50% relative to 2019 thanks partly to a rise in information middle energy consumption.
“It’s an extremely promising guess, and one which, you realize, if we are able to get these initiatives to scale after which scale globally, will ship monumental advantages to communities and energy grids world wide,” Terrell added.
