Google To Use Nuclear Clean Energy To Power AI With Kairos Power

While artificial intelligence (AI) and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) have revolutionized industries with their ability to enhance operations, boost productivity and save time and costs, they’ve also come at the price of significantly higher energy consumption.

This also drew the attention of industry leaders such as Rene Haas, the CEO of Arm, who warned about severe consequences that the energy industry could face due to the unsustainable demands of AI.

According to Haas, these inefficiencies could result in AI data centers consuming 20% to 25% of the US power requirements, which at present is around 4% or less.

Even AI industry leaders are taking note of the surge in energy consumption needed to power AI technology and are looking at more eco-friendly and efficient ways to generate the electricity required.

What Are AI Companies Doing?

With an aim to use carbon-free energy, Microsoft partnered with Constellation Energy Corporation in a 20-year power purchase agreement that includes restarting Constellation's Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear plant’s Unit 1, in a controversial move.

The same plant’s Unit 2 was shut down in March 1979 for bringing in a partial nuclear meltdown, which was dubbed one of the most serious radiation leaks in US history.

While the two companies don’t plan to revive the plant that has been decommissioned for over four decades, it plans to reignite the adjacent Unit 2, which has been shut since 2019 (for economic reasons), to generate around 835 megawatts of carbon-free energy.

The deal, which marked a major step in the eco-friendly direction for AI companies, will see the energy generated added to the PJM (Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection) grid.

Now, Google is looking to enhance its power consumption sources by turning to Kairos Power, a mission-driven nuclear technology, engineering and manufacturing company, in a bid to acquire clean energy.

How Is Google Sourcing Clean Energy?

Through a blog post published on its website, Google revealed that it was signing the world’s first corporate agreement to purchase nuclear energy from multiple small modular reactors (SMR), which will be developed by Kairos Power.

The new deal will enable up to 500 MW (megawatts) of new 24/7 carbon-free power to electricity grids in the United States and help more communities benefit from clean and affordable nuclear power.

As per the plan, an initial move aims to bring Kairos Power’s first SMR online quickly and safely by 2030, with further reactor deployments coming by 2035.

Nuclear solutions offer a clean, round-the-clock power source that can reliably meet electricity demands with carbon-free energy every hour of every day.

The announcement was also accompanied by a video inserted into Google’s blog post and a news release published on Kairos Power’s website.

This move adds to the numerous ones Google has already taken towards sourcing renewable energy from solar and wind, as well as building towards its ambitious 24/7 carbon-free energy and net-zero goals.

What Did Google And Kairos Power Executives Have To Say About The Deal?

Michael Terrell, Google's Senior Director of Energy and Climate, said, “This landmark announcement will accelerate the transition to clean energy as Google and Kairos Power look to add 500 MW of new 24/7 carbon-free power to U.S. electricity grids.”

“This agreement is a key part of our effort to commercialize and scale the advanced energy technologies we need to reach our net zero and 24/7 carbon-free energy goals and ensure that more communities benefit from clean and affordable power in the future.”

Mike Laufer, Kairos Power CEO and co-founder said, “Our partnership with Google will enable Kairos Power to quickly advance down the learning curve as we drive toward cost and schedule certainty for our commercial product.”

“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.”

Do you think this move will spark other companies to join Google in this push toward adopting clean and green technology and renewable energy sources?

Let us know in the comments below!