by Google has signed a deal to use small nuclear reactors to generate the large amounts of energy needed to power its artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
The company says the deal with Kairos Power will allow it to start using the first reactor this decade and put others into operation by 2035.
The companies gave no details on the amount of the deal or where the plants will be built.
Tech companies are increasingly turning to nuclear power sources to provide the electricity used by the massive data centers that drive AI.
“The grid needs new sources of electricity to support AI technologies” said Michael TerrellSenior Director of Energy and Climate at Google.
“This agreement helps accelerate new technology to meet energy needs in a clean and reliable way, and unlock the full potential of AI for all.”
The deal with Google “is important for accelerating the commercialization of advanced nuclear power by demonstrating the technical and commercial viability of a critical solution to the decarbonization of power grids,” said Jeff Olson, director of Kairos.
The plans still need approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as well as local agencies before they can be permitted.
Last year, U.S. regulators granted California-based Kairos Power the first permit in 50 years to build a new type of nuclear reactor.
In July, the company began construction of a demonstration reactor in Tennessee.
The startup specializes in developing smaller reactors that use molten fluoride salt as a coolant instead of water, which traditional nuclear power plants use.
Nuclear power, which is virtually carbon-free and provides electricity 24 hours a day, has become increasingly attractive to the technology industry as it attempts to reduce emissions while consuming more energy.
Global data center energy consumption is expected to more than double by the end of the decade, according to Wall Street banking giant Goldman Sachs.
John Moore, industry editor for the website TechTarget, told the BBC that AI data centers need large amounts of electricity to power them and keep equipment cool.
“These data centers are equipped with specialized equipment…that require a lot of power, that generate a lot of heat.”
At a United Nations climate change conference last year, the United States joined a group of countries that want to triple their nuclear power capacity by 2050 as part of efforts to move away fossil fuels.
However, critics say nuclear power is not without risks and produces long-lived radioactive waste.
Last month, Microsoft reaches agreement to restart operations at Three Mile Island energy plantthe site of America’s worst nuclear accident in 1979.
In March, Amazon announced it would purchase a nuclear-powered data center in the state of Pennsylvania.
“Google’s partnership with Kairos Power marks another major milestone in technology’s adoption of nuclear power,” said Somnath Kansabanik of research firm Rystad Energy.
