Recently, Google announced an agreement with nuclear startup Kairos Power to construct seven small nuclear reactors to power its data centers. This partnership is expected to bring approximately 500 megawatts of zero-carbon electricity to Google's operations, coinciding with the surge in energy demand from data centers and artificial intelligence.
Image source: Image generated by AI, provided by Midjourney
According to Google, these new power plants are expected to be operational by the end of 2030. However, it remains unclear whether these reactors will be directly connected to Google's data centers or if they will be supplied via the grid, with Google obtaining zero-carbon electricity through its agreement with Kairos.
With this agreement, Google joins Microsoft and Amazon in turning to nuclear energy to meet growing electricity demands. Microsoft announced in September last year that it would pay Constellation Energy to restart the Three Mile Island reactor, which was shut down in 2019; Amazon, meanwhile, plans to build a large-scale data center directly connected to a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.
If Kairos Power can meet its 2030 target on schedule, this would be a slight adjustment to its earlier predictions. According to an article from the U.S. Department of Energy, Kairos had expressed hopes to achieve commercial operations in the "early 2030s." Even so, Kairos is competing with many nuclear fusion startups aiming to launch commercial-scale power plants by 2035.
Kairos is an emerging nuclear startup focused on building small modular reactors (SMRs), aiming to promote nuclear power development by reducing costs and accelerating construction times. Traditional nuclear power plants are typically massive facilities with outputs exceeding 1,000 megawatts and lengthy construction periods. For example, the newest nuclear reactors in the U.S., Vogtle units 3 and 4 in Georgia, are set to be operational in 2023 and 2024, respectively, but have been delayed by seven years and overspent by $17 billion.
Compared to large nuclear plants, SMR startups attempt to reduce costs and accelerate construction through mass production technology. Kairos takes this a step further by using molten salt (lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride) as a coolant instead of water. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the startup's 35-megawatt demonstration reactor plan, something other SMR startups have yet to achieve.
However, despite regulatory approval, Kairos still faces many significant challenges. No commercial small modular reactors are currently in operation, making their economics unproven. Additionally, Kairos' molten salt design differs greatly from the water-cooled reactors that have been industry standards for years.
Yet, the biggest challenge for Kairos may not be technical. Despite 56% of Americans supporting nuclear energy according to Pew Research, 44% still oppose it. Oppositional rates may rise when selecting reactor sites, as surveys do not ask whether people would want a nuclear plant near their homes. While current support for nuclear energy is near historical highs, wind and solar technologies are more popular and significantly cheaper than new nuclear plants.
Key Points:
🌟 Google signs agreement with Kairos Power to build seven small nuclear reactors, providing 500 megawatts of zero-carbon electricity.
⚡️ Google joins Microsoft and Amazon in utilizing nuclear energy to meet the growing electricity demands of data centers and AI.
🔧 Kairos faces dual challenges of technology and public support, with commercial small nuclear reactors yet to be realized.
