{"id":814,"date":"2025-04-18T23:36:50","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T23:36:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techrepublic.com\/?p=4302196"},"modified":"2025-04-18T23:36:50","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T23:36:50","slug":"googles-big-bet-on-nuclear-energy-the-race-to-power-ai-driven-data-centers-is-accelerating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tecnoartesanos.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/18\/googles-big-bet-on-nuclear-energy-the-race-to-power-ai-driven-data-centers-is-accelerating\/","title":{"rendered":"Google\u2019s Big Bet on Nuclear Energy: \u2018The Race to Power AI-Driven Data Centers is Accelerating\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Google\u2019s Lucia Tian at Data Center World 2025 in Washington, D.C. Image: Drew Robb\/TechnologyAdvice<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Google has unveiled plans to lead the way in the adoption of nuclear energy for the data center. At Data Center World 2025 in Washington D.C., the company explained some of the details of its partnership with Kairos Power to develop up to 500 MW of nuclear energy through small modular reactors (SMRs). Backed by a $300 million grant from the US Department of Energy\u2019s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, this initiative aims for initial deployment by 2030, with further expansion of the site through 2035.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe race to power AI-driven data centers is accelerating, and securing sustainable, reliable energy at scale is more critical than ever,\u201d said Lucia Tian, head of clean energy & decarbonization at Google. \u201cThis project is one facet of Google\u2019s goal to be carbon free on a 24 x 7 x 365 basis by matching our electricity demand with clean sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the last many years, the company has been a major purchaser of wind and solar energy resources, but the power requirements of the latest generative AI applications have changed the game. Google needs more power than ever and is developing a broad portfolio of clean energy assets; this now includes nuclear energy as well as geothermal power.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis strategy is far more cost effective and dependable as we need to operate on more than variable wind and solar,\u201d said Tian.<\/p>\n

Anyone wanting to build a brand new large-scale nuclear plant can expect to wait as long as a decade before they experience the benefits in terms of available energy production. SMRs are seen as a way to reduce the delay. The first units are expected to enter operation by the end of the decade.<\/p>\n