Amazon and Google bet big on SMRs to power AI

This week, Amazon announced that it led a $500m Series C-1 funding round for X-energy, a US-based firm developing the Xe-100 SMR. It’s claimed the pair will work together to roll out 5GW of SMR nuclear power by 2039. Initial development will see a 320MW project in Washington state in partnership with regional utility Energy Northwest, with an option to expand to 960MW.

Earlier in the week, Google signed an agreement with Kairos Power to install 500MW of SMRs by 2035.  Kairos will develop and build SMRs in sites suitable to supply Google data centres, with the tech giant buying ‘energy, ancillary services, and environmental attributes’ through power purchase agreements (PPAs). The SMRs under development at Kairos rely on fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor (KP-FHR) technology that uses TRISO (TRi-structural ISOtropic) fuel in pebble form. 

“This landmark announcement will accelerate the transition to clean energy as Google and Kairos Power look to add 500MW of new 24/7 carbon-free power to US electricity grids,” said Michael Terrell, Google senior director of Energy and Climate.