After Microsoft, Google is now stepping in, building 6-7 small nuclear reactors, with AI driving the revival of nuclear power

Author: Li Xiaoyin Source: Hard AI The AI wave is driving the transformation of clean energy, with nuclear power becoming the "new favorite" of technology giants. On Monday local time, Google announced that it has signed an agreement with Kairos Power to purchase the electricity from the latter's planned 6-7 small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) with a total capacity of 500 megawatts, to meet the growing demand for electricity. This means that Google will become the first company to commission the construction of a new nuclear power plant to power its data centers. According to the transaction details, the two parties have signed a power purchase agreement, and Kairos plans to deliver the reactors between 2030 and 2035, with the construction site yet to be determined. Media estimates indicate that the expected electricity generation capacity of 500 megawatts can meet the power needs of a medium-sized city or an AI data center campus. Following the news, nuclear energy stocks rose, with the stock price of Oklo, a US nuclear energy startup backed by Sam Altman, jumping by 10% at one point, and continuing to rise after hours. Google's Director of Energy and Climate, Michael Terrell, described the agreement as a "milestone in Google's 15-year journey towards clean energy": "Nuclear energy will play an important role in meeting Google's energy needs and can achieve this goal in a cleaner and more stable manner." When asked whether these reactors will be connected to the grid or directly to the data center, Terrell stated that Google is considering all options. Industry analysts believe that this reflects a trend in the industry: benefiting from higher efficiency and lower costs, the nuclear power industry may abandon large nuclear power plants in favor of small reactors. Since 2010, Google and a group of technology companies have been signing power purchase agreements with renewable energy developers to reduce technology costs. With AI technology driving a surge in power demand for data centers, nuclear power is becoming the "new favorite" of technology giants. In September, Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison announced during an earnings call that the company is designing a data center that is expected to require over 1 gigawatt of power, which will be powered by three small nuclear reactors. Last month, Microsoft signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with the largest nuclear reactor operator in the United States, Constellation Energy - the Three Mile Agreement, to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant and sell all the generated electricity to Microsoft. Google and its parent company Alphabet's CEO Sundar Pichai also hinted in a recent interview with Nikkei Asia that Google is exploring the use of nuclear energy as a possible "green" solution Energy, generating power for its data centers