Simple and small… What are nuclear reactors Google?

In the first event for the American technology giant. Google will use nuclear energy to power its artificial intelligence data centers to meet its growing energy needs and previous commitments to move away from carbon.

Google plans to buy about 7 small nuclear reactors from Kairos Power Company in California for this purpose.

These reactors are called small modular reactors (SMR), and last year the US Nuclear Energy Regulatory Commission released the design of a nuclear reactor of this type.

Experts expect the first nuclear reactors of this type to be used for America’s power grids in the early 2030s at the earliest.

The interest of large technology companies in nuclear energy seems to be boosting the industry.

What makes next-generation reactors different is that they are about one-tenth to one-quarter the size of traditional nuclear reactors.

Its small size and simple design make it cheaper and easier.

Unlike solar and wind energy, which are affected by changes in weather and time, nuclear power plants can generate electricity around the clock.

And she says International Atomic Energy Agency Small modular reactors can provide up to 300 megawatts of electricity per unit, about one-third the capacity of current nuclear reactors.

“Modular” means that its components can be assembled in a factory and then transported as a unit to the site for installation.

As part of our commitment to clean energy, we are signing the world’s first corporate agreement to purchase nuclear power from multiple small modular reactors to be developed by @KairosPower. Learn more → https://t.co/K9nv7J9L4Q pic.twitter.com/GNuLs1dNA5

— Google (@Google) October 14, 2024

Google said in a statement that the Kairos Power reactor relies on molten salt to cool nuclear fuel, and is supposed to allow heat to be efficiently transferred to a steam turbine to generate power.

This safe system allows the reactor to operate at low pressure, allowing for a simpler and cheaper nuclear reactor design.

Kairos Power told the Wall Street Journal that the agreement with Google “aims to add 500 megawatts of nuclear energy starting at the end of the current decade.” “

This plan comes as part of Google’s efforts to eliminate carbon in its resources.

The company said in its statement that they “have been instrumental in accelerating clean energy solutions, including the next generation of advanced clean technologies. Today, we build on those efforts.”

According to the plan, it is supposed to have its first conventional nuclear reactor by 2030, with other reactors to follow by 2035.

In total, this agreement will allow the supply of up to 500 megawatts, which it will use to support artificial intelligence technologies.

“AI investments have clearly increased the volume of work at hand,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in an interview earlier this month, “We are now looking at additional investments , whether in solar energy or evaluating technologies such as nuclear reactors”.

The emergence of cloud computing has increased energy consumption for technology giants such as Amazon, Microsoft, and now Google.

In March, Amazon Web Services announced that it was buying a data center operating at a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.

In September, Microsoft signed an agreement to reopen a reactor at the Three Mile Island power plant in the same state.

The Verge website says that Google needs more clean energy to meet its climate goals and achieve its ambitions in the field of artificial intelligence.

The development of energy sources in close partnership with local communities will promote the decarbonisation of electricity grids worldwide.

Google says the new generation of advanced nuclear reactors will help advance this clean energy method thanks to their simpler design and safety features.

This feature will speed up the construction of these reactors and facilitate their distribution in multiple locations.

Investing in advanced nuclear technology has direct economic benefits for local communities, in terms of direct economic impact and job creation, according to Google’s statement.

But according to the Verge, there are still environmental and health concerns regarding uranium enrichment for reactors and radioactive waste storage.