Google has signed a “world first” deal to buy energy from a fleet of mini nuclear reactors to generate the power needed for the rise in use of artificial intelligence. The US tech corporation has ordered six or seven small nuclear reactors (SMRs) from California’s Kairos Power, with the first due to be completed by 2030 and the remainder by 2035. Google hopes the deal will provide a low-carbon solution to power datacentres, which require huge volumes of electricity. The company, owned by Alphabet, said nuclear provided “a clean, round-the-clock power source that can help us reliably meet electricity demands”. The explosive growth of generative AI, as well as cloud storage, has increased tech companies’ electricity demands. Last month, Microsoft struck a deal to take energy from Three Mile Island, activating the nuclear plant for the first time in five years. The site, in Pennsylvania, was the location of the most serious reactor meltdown in US history, in March 1979. Amazon bought a datacentre powered by nuclear energy in March, also in Pennsylvania, from Talen Energy. The locations of the new Google plants and financial details of the agreement were not revealed. The tech company has agreed to buy a total of 500 megawatts of power from Kairos, which was founded in 2016 and is building a demonstration reactor in Tennessee, due to be completed in 2027. Michael Terrell, the senior director for energy and climate at Google, said: “The grid needs new electricity sources to support AI technologies that are powering major scientific advances, improving services for businesses and customers, and driving national competitiveness and economic growth.

Full report : Google Backs New Nuclear Plants to Power Its Massive AI Data Centers.