Google is actively exploring the possibility of powering its data centers with the help of nuclear energy, as computing power and energy demands continue to soar due to AI. In a recent interview with Nikkei Asia, CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that the company is evaluating various energy sources, including small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), as part of its strategy to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030.
Pichai noted that Google"s greenhouse gas emissions were about 48% higher in 2023 compared to 2019 due to AI-related usage. Nuclear power is a great option for tech companies like Google as it can provide a stable and low-carbon source of electricity. Unlike solar and wind, which can be intermittent due to weather conditions, nuclear plants can operate continuously, which makes them perfect for the constant power demands of data centers.
Amanda Peterson Corio, global head of data center energy at Google, said to Bloomberg:
In the US, in highly regulated markets where we don’t have the opportunity to directly purchase power, we are working with our utility partners and the generators to come together to figure out how we can bring these new technologies — nuclear may be one of them — to the grid.
Google is not the only tech company that has expressed interest in using nuclear energy. Amazon has secured a $650 million deal with the Susquehanna nuclear power plant, while Microsoft plans to restart the Three Mile Island plant by 2028. Even Nvidia"s CEO Jensen Huang said that atomic energy could be a viable option for meeting the high energy needs of its data centers.
Pichai further said that the company is looking for sustainable and reliable energy sources, which would include investments not only in nuclear power but also in traditional renewable sources like solar and geothermal energy. This approach is important as data center electricity consumption is expected to almost double by 2026 to somewhere between 650TWh and 1,050TWh, compared to 460TWh in 2022
Google hasn"t specified when or where it will begin sourcing nuclear power, but there"s a strong possibility that it will pursue these options within the United States first, where it is engaging with government agencies and utilities to do so. Coria didn"t rule out the possibility of using nuclear energy in other countries, including Japan as well.
Via Bloomberg, Nikkei Asia | Image via DepositPhotos.com