Google announced on August 18 (local time) that it has decided to build an advanced nuclear power plant in Tennessee, USA, in partnership with nuclear company Kairos Power.
Last October, Google announced that it had signed an agreement with Kairos Power to purchase energy from the SMR (Small Modular Reactor) that Kairos Power will operate in the future. This power plant is scheduled to supply electricity to Google data centers in the southeastern United States starting in 2030.
The nuclear power plant to be built in Tennessee will support an advanced nuclear generation capacity of 500MW (megawatts), enough to supply electricity to up to 350,000 households, and will be developed by Kairos Power. The plant will be constructed in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and electricity will be supplied to Google’s data centers in Tennessee and Alabama through a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
Amanda Peterson Corio, Global Head of Data Center Energy at Google, said, “Through collaboration with TVA, Kairos Power, and the Oak Ridge community, we will help accelerate the deployment of innovative nuclear technologies, provide carbon-free and reliable power to the grid, and meet the demands of the growing digital economy.”
Amid competition to build AI infrastructure, major U.S. tech companies are focusing on SMRs as one of their energy sources. In October last year, Amazon signed an agreement with Virginia-based energy company Dominion Energy to develop SMRs and also decided to support the construction of four SMRs by another energy company, Northwest.
Microsoft (MS) founder Bill Gates established TerraPower, an SMR development company, as early as 2008. In addition, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has invested in the SMR company Oklo, which aims to begin operating a nuclear plant by 2027.
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