Google signs deal with startup to build small nuclear reactors to power AI

Deal with Kairos Power comes as tech giants are scouring the globe for electricity sources to power data centres.

Google has signed a landmark deal to use electricity produced by small nuclear reactors to power artificial intelligence (AI).

Under the agreement signed with startup Kairos Power on Monday, the California-based tech giant will back the construction of seven small nuclear reactors capable of generating 500 megawatts of power.

The first reactor is scheduled to come online by 2030, with others to follow in the coming years.

“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,” Michael Terrell, the senior director of energy and climate at Google, said in a blog post.

“This agreement helps accelerate a new technology to meet energy needs cleanly and reliably, and unlock the full potential of AI for everyone.”

Tech giants such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon are driving renewed interest in nuclear energy as they scour the planet for electricity sources to power the data centres underpinning the boom in AI.

Last month, Microsoft signed a deal with the utility Constellation Energy to restore a decommissioned nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania that will supply the tech giant with power for the next 20 years.

Amazon earlier this year inked an agreement with Houston-based Talen Energy to buy a 1,200-acre (486-hectare) data centre campus in Pennsylvania that draws energy from a nearby nuclear plant.

Data centres consume about 3 percent of the world’s electricity, with consumption expected to rise substantially in the coming years as AI continues to develop, according to the law firm White & Case.

So-called small modular reactors are seen by proponents as a more cost-effective and less time-consuming alternative to large, commercial-scale nuclear reactors.

The technology is still in its infancy, however, with only three such reactors known to be in operation worldwide, in Russia, China and India.

Kairos Power CEO Mike Laufer said the partnership will allow the company to “quickly advance down the learning curve.”

“By coming alongside in the development phase, Google is more than just a customer. They are a partner who deeply understands our innovative approach and the potential it can deliver.”

Kairos Power was founded in 2016 with the backing of the United States Department of Energy.

The California-based company describes its mission as accelerating the development of “innovative nuclear technology that has the potential to transform the energy landscape in the United States and internationally.”

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Al Jazeera and news agencies