Google has secured a groundbreaking deal to purchase energy from a group of small nuclear reactors in order to meet the electricity demands of ramping up artificial intelligence usage.
A tech company in the US has placed an order for six or seven small nuclear reactors (SMRs) from a California-based reactor, with the first portion expected to be operational by 2030 and the remainder by 2035.
Google anticipates that this collaboration will offer a sustainable solution for powering energy-intensive data centers.
The US-based company owned by Alphabet emphasized that nuclear energy offers a clean and continuous power source to meet their electricity requirements reliably.
The increasing demand for power from technology companies due to the rapid growth of AI and cloud storage is driving this trend.
Recently, Microsoft inked a deal to utilize energy from Three Mile Island, reviving the plant after five years of dormancy. This site in Pennsylvania was infamous for the worst nuclear meltdown in US history in 1979. Amazon also acquired a nuclear-powered data center from Talen Energy in March.
The exact location of the new facility and financial specifics of the agreement were not disclosed. Google has committed to procuring a total of 500 megawatts of power from Kairos, a company founded in 2016 currently constructing a demonstration reactor in Tennessee, set to be completed by 2027.
Michael Terrell, Google’s senior director of energy and climate, stated: said: “The electric grid needs new sources of power to support AI technologies that drive major advances in science, improve service to businesses and customers, and promote national competitiveness and economic growth.
“This agreement will help accelerate new technologies to meet our energy needs cleanly and reliably and unlock the full potential of AI for everyone.”
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“We are confident that this novel approach will improve the prospects for our projects to be delivered on cost and on schedule,” said Mike Laufer, CEO and co-founder of Kairos.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval and serves as an endorsement of SMR technology. Small, prefabricated power plants are designed to mitigate cost overruns and delays commonly associated with the construction of large facilities. However, critics argue that SMRs may be costly due to the lack of economies of scale compared to larger plants.
In the UK, companies are vying to be selected by the government for developing SMR technology as officials seek to revive the nuclear industry. One contender, Rolls-Royce SMR, received a significant boost after being chosen by the Czech government to build a fleet of nuclear reactors.
Source: www.theguardian.com
