Google taps into nuclear power to feed voracious AI

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Nuclear energy, once fiercely reviled, is awakening from its slumber and experiencing an unexpected rebirth thanks to the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI). Just ask Google , which has decided to buy nuclear energy to power its AI projects , which are absolutely insatiable in consuming energy resources.

The internet giant has reached an agreement with the Californian startup Kairos Power to build seven small modular reactors (SMRs) that will supply electricity to Google's data centers with a focus on AI.

The seven reactors ordered by Google are expected to be ready by 2030 , and the Mountain View company also plans to develop additional reactors by 2035.

Under the agreement with Kairos Power, Google will be able to add 500 MW of greenhouse gas-free electricity to its U.S. grid at a time when the company's AI projects are increasingly consuming energy resources.

Through the agreement with Kairos Power, Google hopes to “accelerate the development of new technology using clean and reliable energy to unlock the full potential of AI.”

The announcement of the agreement between Google and Kairos Power comes shortly after Microsoft announced last month that it had partnered with energy company Constellation to reopen one of the reactors at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania to power the Redmond-based company's data centers. One of the worst nuclear accidents on U.S. soil occurred at a reactor near the plant in 1979.

Named the Crane Clean Energy Center, Microsoft's nuclear project is e albania whatsapp data xpected to come online in 2028 and will provide the tech giant with an additional 800 MW of electricity.

The huge energy resources consumed by AI are a challenge for large technology companies
Google’s deal with Kairos Power once again highlights the absolutely colossal energy resources consumed by AI . Last November, Google developed a geothermal project with Fervo Energy to power its data centers in Nevada.

While Google had set a goal for all of its data centers and offices to operate entirely on greenhouse gas-free energy by 2030, the company’s emissions actually jumped 48% between 2019 and 2023. Additionally, electricity consumption at Google’s data centers grew 17% last year, and this upward trend is expected to continue in the years to come. Google attributes this growth to increased energy consumption at its data centers and emissions generated in the supply chain due to the integration of AI into the company’s products and services.

In its latest annual forecast, the International Energy Agency (IEA) also estimated that total electricity consumption in data centres could exceed the 1,000 terawatt-hour barrier by 2026.

A Google search results in a consumption of just 0.3 watt-hours, while a ChatGPT query requires an average consumption of 2.9 watt-hours , according to the IEA. And if 9 billion ChatGPT queries were made every day, almost 10 additional terawatt-hours of electricity would be required per year.