Google signs world-first 'mini nuclear' deal in dash to power AI
Agreement with Kairos Power would advance some 500MW as renewables face competition to meet coming demand surge
Google has signed what’s billed as the first corporate energy deal for power from small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear plants, in a fresh signal that renewables face competition in meeting the data centre power boom.
The tech giant said an agreement with SMR pioneer Kairos Power would bring up to 500MW of new nuclear power onto the US grid, with the first reactor online as soon as 2030.
Google cited the need for massive new sources of zero-carbon power to meet the needs of AI as the reason for the deal, which will enable Kairos to advance multiple reactor projects towards construction.
“The next generation of advanced nuclear reactors offers a new pathway to accelerate nuclear deployment thanks to their simplified design and robust, inherent safety,” said Google. “The smaller size and modular design can reduce construction timelines, allow deployment in more places, and make the final project delivery more predictable.”
No details were given over the price of the power that Kairos will sell to Google, which is also one of the world's largest buyers of wind and solar energy.
SMRs, sometimes known as 'mini-nuclear' plants, are under development across the world as the industry looks to offer a smaller, cheaper and faster to deploy alternative to giant conventional nuclear power stations.
The tech industry’s signals of imminent soaring demand for clean power to meet AI-fuelled demand have already put nuclear back on the map with a Microsoft agreement to take power from the notorious Three Mile Island facility in the US.
The data centre sector is also looking at gas power, raising fears that renewable sources such as wind won’t be able to take its full share of the coming boom.