--- title: "Yet Another Tech Giant Throws Its Weight Behind Nuclear As AI’s Monstrous Power Demands Spike" description: "Google is going all in on nuclear to power its AI efforts, which have resulted in the tech giant missing important climate targets." date: "2024-10-16" modified: "2024-10-16" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/google-nuclear-power" categories: - "Energy" - "Nuclear Fusion" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "ai" - "Google" - "nuclear power" - "the digest" --- # Yet Another Tech Giant Throws Its Weight Behind Nuclear As AI’s Monstrous Power Demands Spike ![Google is going all-in on nuclear to power its AI efforts, which have resulted in the tech giant missing important climate targets.]() *\Image: Kairos Power\* ## Landmark Deal Google just inked a major nuclear energy deal focused on powering AI efforts without [destroying the planet]() in the process. On Monday, Google [announced]() a landmark agreement with nuclear startup Kairos Power to purchase energy produced by seven yet-to-be-built small modular nuclear reactors. The companies claim the deal aims to add upwards of 500 megawatts "of new 24/7 carbon-free power to US electricity grids" — that is, over a decade from now when Kairos promises the reactors will be built. AI is an incredibly [energy-intensive]() technology. And though its makers [often]() [trumpet]() [AI's promise]() as a climate crisis-solving innovation, the AI industry's massive reliance on [nonrenewable sources]() to power the energy-guzzling tech has caused companies [including Google]() and [Microsoft to miss]() important climate targets. Google and Kairos are touting the renewable energy deal as a win for overall tech sustainability and, most importantly, sustainable AI development. "This agreement helps accelerate a new technology to meet energy needs cleanly and reliably," wrote Michael Terrell, Google's senior director for energy and climate, [in a company blog post](), "and unlock the full potential of AI for everyone." ## Big Promises In the announcement, Google and Kairos claim that the first of the modular nuclear power terminals will be up and running by 2030, with all modules completed by 2035. As [*Bloomberg* reported in May](), Google stopped mass-buying carbon offset tokens this year amid its emissions-intensive AI efforts, and as a result, no longer claims to be carbon neutral. The tech giant is still promising to be net-zero carbon by 2030, though as it stands, AI is [making that mission increasingly unlikely](). In his blog post, Terrell noted that the goal of the deal is to "complement" Google's use "of variable renewables, like solar and wind, and help us reach our ambitious 24/7 carbon-free energy and net-zero goals." ## Nuclear Revival Google isn't the first AI company to look to renewable nuclear energy as a means of offsetting AI's serious fossil fuel problem. In another high-profile plan to put nuclear back on the energy menu, Microsoft [announced a deal last month]() to revitalize the decades-old plant at Pennsylvania's notorious Three Mile Island, the site of the [worst nuclear power]() accident in US history. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is also [deeply invested]() in conventional nuclear power as well as [still-unrealized fusion power](). Nuclear power has long had a public relations problem in the US. But now, as powerful tech giants [scramble]() to power AI without taking a wrecking ball to the Earth's climate, [nuclear is making a serious comeback]() — though whether Google and its peers will be able to power their AI models *and* still meet essential climate targets remains precariously unclear. **More on AI and nuclear:** [*Microsoft Working to Reopen Three Mile Island to Power Huge AI Datacenters*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()