Tech companies are increasingly turning to nuclear energy to meet data centers' growing power demands.People take photos in front of a giant Google logo at Google's Bay View campus in Mountain View, California on Aug 13, 2024 where the "Made by Google" media event was held today.
"We believe that nuclear energy has a critical role to play in supporting our clean growth and helping to deliver on the progress of AI," Michael Terrell, senior director for energy and climate at Google, said on a call with reporters. "The grid needs these kinds of clean, reliable sources of energy that can support the build out of these technologies.
Kairos Power, which is backed by the Department of Energy, was founded in 2016. In July, the company began construction on itsin Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Rather than use water as the reactor coolant – as is used in traditional nuclear reactors – Kairos Power uses molten fluoride salt., with more reactors going live through 2035. In total, 500 megawatts will be added to the grid. That's much smaller than commercial reactors — Unit 4 at Plant Vogtle, which.