Tech Giant Google Inks Agreement for Nuclear Energy Implementation in Data Centers by 2030
In a significant move towards sustainable energy, California-based startup Kairos Power has announced a collaboration with Google and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to supply advanced nuclear energy to Google's data centers in the United States. This partnership will see the operation of Kairos Power's Hermes 2 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which is scheduled to begin operations by 2030.
The Hermes 2 plant, initially planned to generate 28 MW, has been boosted to produce up to 50 MW by a single reactor, speeding up the delivery of clean energy. This collaboration is expected to supply up to 50 megawatts (MW) of 24-hour energy to the TVA grid.
Google's data center emissions saw a reduction of 12% in 2024, despite a significant increase in energy usage. However, the overall carbon footprint of the tech giant continued to grow, driven by a sharp increase in emissions from its supply chain, with Scope 3 emissions rising by more than 20%.
Mike Laufer, CEO and Co-Founder of Kairos Power, stated that this collaboration is an important enabler to making advanced nuclear energy commercially competitive. He added that the collaboration with TVA and Google will help write a new chapter in the region's distinguished nuclear history.
The collaboration between Google, TVA, and Kairos Power is part of Google's broader agreement to bring 500 MW of advanced nuclear capacity online by 2035. This move aims to strengthen local economic growth while advancing America's leadership in nuclear energy.
TVA will purchase power from Kairos Power's Hermes 2 plant, and Google will receive the clean energy attributes from the plant to support operations at its Tennessee and Alabama data centers.
This collaboration marks the first deployment under Kairos Power's broader agreement with Google. Don Moul, CEO of TVA, stated that nuclear energy is the bedrock of future energy security, and this collaboration will help reduce costs and risks for first-of-a-kind nuclear projects.
Google first partnered with Kairos Power in October 2024 to advance multiple small modular reactor deployments. Since then, the tech giant's data centers have become six times more energy-efficient, delivering more computing power per unit of electricity than they did five years ago.
The re-envisioned Hermes 2 could only be made possible by close collaboration with TVA and Google, and a supportive local community. This collaboration aims to strengthen local economic growth while advancing America's leadership in nuclear energy.
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