MW Google is making another bet on nuclear energy as it steps up its AI efforts

By Britney Nguyen

The tech giant is pledging early-stage development capital to three nuclear-energy sites

Alphabet Inc.'s Google is following up on its nuclear-power ambitions with a new agreement for three nuclear-energy project locations.

Advanced nuclear-project developer Elementl Power Inc. said on Wednesday it is partnering with Google to preposition the sites, and that the tech giant is committing early-stage development capital for the projects.

Google $(GOOG)$ $(GOOGL)$ and other major tech companies, including Microsoft Corp. $(MSFT)$ and Amazon.com Inc. $(AMZN)$, have sought nuclear-power deals in recent months to meet the massive energy demands of artificial-intelligence efforts. While the AI boom has driven revenue for the companies, it has hampered sustainability and climate goals to cut carbon emissions by the end of the decade due to data-center energy consumption.

Elementl Power, which is also an independent power producer, said it aims to bring more than 10 gigawatts of nuclear power online in the next decade. Google and Elementl Power also plan to work with utility and regulated power partners on the projects.

"Innovative partnerships like this are necessary to mobilize the capital required to build new nuclear-energy projects, which are critical to deliver safe, affordable and clean baseload power and help companies advance their long-term net zero goals," Elementl Power Chief Executive Chris Colbert said in a statement.

Each nuclear-energy location is expected to generate at least 600 megawatts of power, Elementl Power said. Commercial offtake agreements will also be available after the sites are completed.

The tech giant is "committed to catalyzing projects that strengthen the power grids where we operate," and nuclear power is "reliable, baseload, 24/7 energy," Amanda Peterson Corio, global head of data-center energy at Google, said in a statement. "Our collaboration with Elementl Power enhances our ability to move at the speed required to meet this moment of AI and American innovation" Corio added.

The agreement follows Google's "world's first corporate agreement to purchase nuclear energy" with Kairos Power in October from the company's small modular reactors, or SMRs - the first of which is expected to be brought online by 2030, with more planned through 2035.

The Kairos Power agreement is expected to provide up to 500 megawatts of carbon-free power to U.S. electricity grids at all times, according to the tech giant.

"This agreement is part of our efforts to develop and commercialize a broad portfolio of advanced clean electricity technologies to power our global data centers and offices," Google said.

Weeks before Google's announcement, Microsoft signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Constellation Energy Corp. $(CEG.UK)$ to restart the Three Mile Island Unit 1 nuclear reactor to provide carbon-free nuclear energy. Amazon followed in October by signing three agreements "to support the development of nuclear-energy projects," including "several" SMRs that can be built close to energy grids.

-Britney Nguyen

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May 07, 2025 12:57 ET (16:57 GMT)

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