People take photos in front of a giant Google logo at Google's Bay View Campus in Mountain View, California, August 13, 2024 where the media event “Made by Google” took place today.
Josh Edelson | AFP | Getty images
The nuclear developer Elementl Power said on Wednesday that he had signed an agreement with Google To develop three sites for advanced reactors. This is the latest example of technology giants that combine with the nuclear industry in order to meet the vast energy needs of data centers.
Google will hire development capital at an early stage in the three projects, although the exact terms of the agreement remain private. Each site will generate at least 600 megawatts of electrical capacity, and Google will have the possibility of buying the supply once the operational sites. The proposed locations remain private, but Elementl said that Google’s financing will be used for things as the site allows, the guarantee of interconnection rights on the transmission system, contract negotiations and other questions at an early stage.
“Google undertakes to catalyze projects that strengthen the electrical networks where we operate, and advanced nuclear technology provides reliable energy, Baseload, 24/7,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, global energy center manager at Google.
“Our collaboration with Elementl Power improves our ability to move at the speed necessary to respect this moment of AI and American innovation,” she added.
Elementl Power, which was founded in 2022 as a nuclear project developer, has not yet built sites.
The company is currently technological agnostic, which means that it has not yet chosen the type of reactor it will use on its sites. On the contrary, when the company is ready to start construction, it will choose the technology of the most distant developed reactors.
“Innovative partnerships like this are necessary to mobilize the required capital to build new nuclear projects, which are essential to offer safe, affordable and clean basic power and help companies advance their long-term net objectives,” said Chris Colbert, president and chief executive officer of Elementl Power. Colbert was previously financial director, COO and strategy director at Naked powerwhich develops small modular reactors.
Colbert added that once the projects have reached a final Elementl investment stadium, increases capital from other sources – for example infrastructure funds – to really build projects. The company aims to add 10 nuclear gigawatts to the network by 2035.
In October, Google joined the small company of modular reactors Kairos Power, committing to buy the electricity of the company's fleet of reactors. At the time, Google said the first reactor would enter service by 2030, with others online until 2035.
Earlier this year, the Chinese AI startup Deepseek aroused concerns that the improved efficiency of emerging AI models could reduce the need to invest in the construction of new electricity sources to support data centers. However, technological leaders such as Amazon And Nvidia Since then, Power Power's need has continued to grow at a quick pace.
In April, the anthropogenic co-founder Jack Clark estimated that 50 gigawatts of new electrical capacity will be necessary by 2027 to support AI. It is the equivalent of around 50 new nuclear power plants.
