IT, like nature, hates a vacuum. Actually, in today’s world, IT is a virtual force of nature. IT’s enormous appetite for power is on a trajectory to strain grids everywhere, and in no IT sector is this more keenly felt than in HPC-AI, the home of generative AI, where insatiable power demand could hobble genAI adoption.
Mammoth AI data centers housing acres of HPC-class racks are breaking ground around the world. Clean power sources in greater quantities is an imperative, and the power vacuum could be addressed by SMRs, small modular nuclear reactors.
Two companies at the nexus of data centers and energy are Kairos Power and Google, and they may point the way to strategies for addressing the looming HPC-AI power crisis. Last October, the two companies signed a Master Plant Development Agreement creating a path to deploy a U.S. fleet of advanced nuclear power projects totaling 500 MW by 2035.
Yesterday, Albuquerque-based Kairos said it has successfully completed the installation of the reactor vessel for its second non-nuclear Engineering Test Unit (ETU 2.0). It is the first reactor vessel to be fabricated in-house at Kairos’ manufacturing development campus in Albuquerque.
The reactor vessel is a component of the engineering test unit, which Kairos said it is building to advance the iterative development of its fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) technology.
Under its agreement with Google, Kairos will construct and operate a series of advanced reactor plants and sell energy, ancillary services, and environmental attributes to Google under power purchase agreements (PPAs). Plants will be sited in relevant service territories to supply clean electricity to Google data centers, with the first deployment by 2030 to support Google’s 24/7 carbon-free energy and net zero goals.
The agreement with Kairos is part of Google’s decarbonization strategy. Google said since 2010, it has signed more than 115 agreements totaling over 14 GW of clean energy generation capacity. The additional generation developed the multi-plant agreement with Kairos will complement Google’s use of renewables, such as solar and wind.
“This landmark announcement will accelerate the transition to clean energy as Google and Kairos Power look to add 500 MW of new 24/7 carbon-free power to U.S. electricity grids,” said Michael Terrell, Google Senior Director of Energy and Climate. “This agreement is a key part of our effort to commercialize and scale the advanced energy technologies we need to reach our net zero and 24/7 carbon-free energy goals and ensure that more communities benefit from clean and affordable power in the future.”
Kairos characterized the agreement with Google as a developmental and learning relationship that supports technology development by extending Kairos’ iterative demonstration strategy through its first commercial deployments.
“Building on progress from the early iterations, each new plant will enable continued learning and optimization to support accelerated commercialization,” Kairos said in its announcement.
“Our partnership with Google will enable Kairos Power to quickly advance down the learning curve as we drive toward cost and schedule certainty for our commercial product,” said Mike Laufer, Kairos Power CEO and co-founder. “By coming alongside in the development phase, Google is more than just a customer. They are a partner who deeply understands our innovative approach and the potential it can deliver.”
Kairos said the ETU 2.0 reactor vessel is a construction milestone and a contract milestone under the company’s Technology Investment Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy for risk reduction funding through the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP).
Under the agreement, Kairos Power receives fixed, performance-based payments from DOE when it demonstrates the achievement of pre-determined project milestones. DOE has agreed to invest up to $303 million in a reactor project, called the Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant in Oak Ridge, TN, through the ARDP, supplementing Kairos Power’s private investment.
