The tech giant says it will use energy from small reactors to power its use of artificial intelligence.

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.

  • Butterbee (She/Her)@beehaw.orgEnglish
    29·
    2 months 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.

  • Moonrise2473@feddit.it
    18·
    2 months ago

    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:

    1. Build a test reactor for their new unproven technology that as of now exists only as a PowerPoint presentation to show to investors
    2. Have it approved by the government
    3. Build the full scale reactor
    4. Have it approved by the government
    5. 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

    • fine_sandy_bottom@lemmy.federate.ccOP
      6·
      2 months ago

      Yeah I don’t know enough about the technologies involved to have an informed opinion but solutions involving nuclear always seem like this…

      “Just let us keep doing what we’re doing while we invent a new technology that will solve all our problems.”

      Obviously, the answer is… we absolutely should invent this new technology but while we’re doing that we can transition to renewables and avoid grifts that rely on absurd energy usage like crypto and AI.

  • RickRussell_CA@beehaw.orgEnglish
    11·
    2 months ago

    AI with dedicated nuclear power? I can’t imagine anything that could possiblye go wrong in this scenario.

    • BCsven
      2·
      2 months ago

      The AI being in charge of operating the Nuclear station would be interesring

      • SteevyT@beehaw.org
        1·
        2 months ago

        I was going to say, make the AI responsible for its own nuclear power generation and maintenance and see what happens. Maybe simulate the power plant though.