Investments in infrastructure that powers artificial intelligence continue to grow by the day. On Monday, Google announced that it had entered into a collaboration for a new nuclear reactor to be built in Tennessee, as reported by Reuters . This new Google nuclear reactor will supply electricity to Google’s data centers across the U.S. Southeast. It is expected to become operational in 2030.
Artificial Intelligence and the need for power sources
Data centers need constant power to stay on so that your preferred AI can churn out the results you expect. And because AI tech continues to advance daily, there is a need for available power sources to match that. It is these needs that are pushing tech companies in the US and elsewhere to invest in newer energy sources to power their data centers. Without investments like this one, these tech companies are likely to put a strain on available energy sources and possibly see a slowdown in AI tech advancement.
The company building the Google nuclear reactor is Kairos Power. Barron and other news sources report that Google purchased power from the same company, worth 500 megawatts in California, last year. That amount of electricity, when put into context, is enough to power 350,000 homes, according to that earlier Barron news report.
What this translates into for Google
One word, efficiency. We can narrow Google’s investment to its need to efficiently run massive AI models. This new collaboration, as gleaned from the sources mentioned, tracks back to finding energy sources that benefit the environment.
Google no doubt has its eyes set on bringing all the capabilities and functions AI can offer to its products. Think of the new features in Google Translate coming through Gemini. By adding advanced AI features to Google Translate, its accuracy improves. It also becomes a lot more reliable and faster.
What Kind of nuclear power plant is Google building in Tennessee?
Nuclear power plants exist in the US. However, they are not owned by private companies. Kairos Power will be building an advanced nuclear plant that CNBC reports will be connected to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s electric grid. A quote from TVA CEO Don Moul captures an essential bit of such an investment as this. He told CNBC that “… this solves the problem of making sure that consumers don’t carry that first-of-a-kind cost and risk.”
Google will definitely not be the last big tech compan y to invest in newer power sources as AI continues to shape our lives. Especially with AI technology expanding into more areas to fill consumer needs.
