Google has signed a deal to use small nuclear reactors to generate the vast amounts of energy needed to power its artificial intelligence (AI) data centres.The company says the agreement with Kairos Power will see it start using the first reactor this decade and bring more online by 2035.
It’s pure greenwashing.
They made a deal with a company that has zero practical experience with nuclear reactors, literally built nothing.
It’s impossible that in just 6 years they will manage to:
- Build a test reactor for their new unproven technology that as of now exists only as a PowerPoint presentation to show to investors
- Have it approved by the government
- Build the full scale reactor
- Have it approved by the government
- Get a license to use enriched uranium in a private setting
Even if they finished yesterday to build the final version of the full scale reactor, 6 years aren’t enough to go all through the regulatory red tape
Now that they promised that will use “green” energy in the future, Google can continue to use energy from coal and in 2030 everyone has forgotten about this vaporware deal
Butterbee@beehaw.org 5 weeks ago
“The grid needs new electricity sources to support AI technologies,” said Michael Terrell, senior director for energy and climate at Google." The grid needs fewer power hungry grifts.