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

Google and small nuclear reactors have a groundbreaking agreement that allows the development of artificial intelligence (AI) using small nuclear reactors.

The tech giant, based in California, will support the construction of seven small nuclear reactors that can generate 500 megawatts of power under the terms of the agreement Kairos Power signed on Monday.

By 2030, the first reactor is expected to be operational, with more to follow in the coming years.

According to Michael Terrell, senior director of energy and climate at Google, “the grid needs new electricity sources to support AI technologies that are advancing major scientific discoveries, enhancing services for businesses and customers, and boosting economic growth and competitiveness.”

This agreement allows for the full potential of AI to be fully realized and to be used to meet energy needs responsibly and quickly.

As tech giants search the globe for energy to power the data centers that support the boom in AI, there is a renewed interest in nuclear energy.

A decommissioned nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, which will provide the tech giant with power for the next 20 years, was restored last month by Microsoft and Constellation Energy.

A 1, 200-acre (486-hectare) data center campus in Pennsylvania that receives energy from a nearby nuclear plant was purchased earlier this year by Amazon and Houston-based Talen Energy.

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 &amp, 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.

Mike Laufer, CEO of Kairos Power, stated that the partnership will help the company “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 fully comprehends the benefits of our creative approach.

The United States Department of Energy supported the establishment of Kairos Power in 2016.