World-1st: 7 small nuclear reactors to feed Google engine 500MW power by 2035

Google announced on Monday that it has signed the world’s first corporate agreement to buy electricity from multiple small modular reactors (SMRs). This move is aimed at supporting its increasing energy demands driven by artificial intelligence (AI) operations.

Partnering with Kairos Power, Google plans to have the first of these SMRs online by 2030, with further deployments continuing through 2035.

Although financial specifics and exact plant locations in the U.S. remain undisclosed, Google confirmed that it will purchase a total of 500 megawatts of power from six to seven reactors.

This is smaller in output compared to traditional nuclear reactors but fits into Google’s strategy of clean, reliable, and round-the-clock energy.

Google’s long-term investment in nuclear power

The tech giant’s decision reflects the growing energy demands of AI technology, which requires substantial and continuous power supplies.

Michael Terrell, senior director for energy and climate at Google, emphasized the potential role of nuclear energy in helping Google meet these energy needs. “We feel like nuclear can play an important role in helping to meet our demand … cleanly in a way that’s more around the clock,” Terrell said, as reported by Reuters .

Nuclear power has been gaining renewed attention from large technology firms due to the increasing energy consumption of data centers.

Earlier this year, Amazon secured a nuclear-powered data center, and Microsoft made headlines last month with its agreement to power a unit at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. The energy demand from data centers is expected to triple by 2030, requiring an estimated 47 gigawatts of new power capacity.

While natural gas, wind, and solar are seen as primary energy sources to meet this demand, nuclear power is being revisited as a viable option for consistent energy generation.

Kairos Power’s SMRs , which are smaller and modular in nature, represent a shift towards more flexible nuclear solutions. Unlike traditional reactors , these SMRs are constructed in factories rather than on-site, which can help reduce the cost and time of construction.

However, the permitting process remains complex. Kairos will need approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and local agencies, which can take years to finalize. Nonetheless, Kairos has already received a construction permit from the NRC for a demonstration reactor in Tennessee.

The future of small modular reactors and industry challenges

Critics argue that SMRs may struggle to compete with the economies of scale achieved by larger nuclear plants. Additionally, SMRs will still produce nuclear waste, a problem for which the U.S. currently lacks a long-term disposal solution.

Despite these concerns, Google is betting on the future of small modular reactors by committing to an “order book framework” with Kairos.

This approach signals long-term market demand, providing an incentive to accelerate SMR development rather than purchasing one reactor at a time. By doing so, Google is helping pave the way for the broader deployment of SMRs across the energy landscape.

Mike Laufer, CEO and co-founder of Kairos, echoed this confidence. “We’re confident that this novel approach is going to improve the prospects of our projects being delivered on cost and on schedule,” Laufer said, emphasizing the partnership’s potential to bring reliable, cost-effective nuclear energy to market.

As the energy demands of AI and data centers continue to rise, the technology industry’s interest in nuclear power could lead to a resurgence of nuclear energy innovation. Google’s commitment to SMRs marks a critical step towards a future where nuclear power plays a more prominent role in meeting the power needs of the digital age.

The NRC has expressed readiness to review new reactor applications, with spokesperson Scott Burnell stating, “The NRC is ready to efficiently and appropriately review applications for new reactors.”