Google Shifts to Nuclear Reactors to Fuel Its Artificial Intelligence

On Monday, Google signed a deal to source electricity from small nuclear reactors to support its AI operations. This agreement with Kairos Power follows recent news that Three Mile Island, the site of the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history, will resume operations to supply energy to Microsoft.

“Nuclear energy is crucial for driving our clean growth and advancing AI,” said Google’s senior director of energy and climate in a briefing.

“The grid requires clean, dependable energy sources to support the expansion of these technologies.”

No financial terms were revealed.

Tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google are rapidly expanding their data centers to meet the growing computing demands of AI, while searching globally for power sources.

Kairos and Google to Launch First Small Modular Reactor by Decade’s End

Kairos, in partnership with Google, plans to bring its first small modular reactor (SMR) online by the end of the decade, with more reactors expected to be operational by 2035, collectively generating 500 megawatts of power.

SMRs are smaller and potentially easier to deploy, attracting significant investments from figures like Microsoft founder Bill Gates. However, since the technology is still in its early stages and lacks regulatory approval, companies are turning to existing nuclear power options in the meantime.

“This is a very significant partnership,” said Kairos co-founder and CEO Mike Laufer during the briefing. He added that the agreement provides an opportunity for SMR technology to “mature and evolve.”

Google’s senior energy director, Terrell, emphasized the need for clean, reliable power sources to support AI’s rapid growth, noting that nuclear energy is part of their strategy to ensure 24/7 carbon-free electricity.

“This is an incredibly promising investment,” Terrell said, adding, “If we can scale these projects globally, they will bring enormous benefits to communities and power grids worldwide.”

Tech Giants Turn to Nuclear Power to Meet AI’s Growing Energy Demands

Viewed as a more reliable energy source than solar and wind, many tech companies are turning to nuclear power to meet the growing electricity needs of AI. Microsoft’s use of Three Mile Island’s nuclear energy will strengthen a power grid spanning 13 states, which is under pressure due to the high energy consumption of data centers. This has raised concerns about grid stability as AI demand surges. In March, Amazon’s AWS committed $650 million to develop a data center campus powered by another nuclear plant in Pennsylvania.

Nuclear energy faces strong opposition due to concerns over radioactive waste disposal, the risk of catastrophic accidents, and the high costs of building and decommissioning plants.

The 1979 partial meltdown of Unit 2 at Three Mile Island triggered widespread panic in the U.S. and effectively halted the growth of nuclear energy.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission called it the “most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power history,” though it reported no detectable health effects on workers or the public from the small radioactive releases.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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