Powering AI Data Centers With Next-Gen Energy
Google, in partnership with Kairos Power, has chosen Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as the site for an advanced nuclear power plant designed to supply electricity to its data centers in the U.S. southeast beginning in 2030. The move underscores the growing energy demands of Big Tech as companies expand data infrastructure to support generative AI and other power-hungry technologies.
The facility will be the first to launch under Google’s corporate agreement announced last year to purchase nuclear power from multiple small modular reactors. The deal covers up to 500 megawatts of advanced nuclear capacity, roughly equivalent to powering 350,000 homes.
Details of the Tennessee Project
Kairos Power, a California-based nuclear developer, will construct the 50-gigawatt small modular reactor in Oak Ridge under a long-term power purchase agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Electricity generated will feed Google’s regional data centers in Tennessee and Alabama, ensuring reliable, carbon-free energy to support AI operations.
“This collaboration with TVA, Kairos Power, and the Oak Ridge community will accelerate the deployment of innovative nuclear technologies and help support the needs of our growing digital economy while also bringing firm carbon-free energy to the electricity system,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s global head of data center energy.
Milestone for U.S. Nuclear Development
The initiative marks the first time a U.S. utility has signed a power purchase agreement for generation IV nuclear power, considered one of the safest and most sustainable forms of nuclear technology under development. By committing to nuclear energy at scale, Google is positioning itself as a leader in corporate clean energy adoption amid surging AI-driven demand.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright praised the move, calling advanced nuclear deployment “essential to U.S. AI dominance and energy leadership.” He added that the Department of Energy will continue assisting Kairos Power under its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, aiming to accelerate what he described as “the next American nuclear renaissance.”
