Google Partners with Elementl Power to Develop Advanced Nuclear Energy Sites Amid Growing AI Power Demands

Google signs another nuclear power deal, no clear details

Chocolate Factory will provide early-stage capital to nuclear startup Elementl Google has signed a strategic agreement with nuclear project developer Elementl Power to support the early development of three potential reactor sites in the US. But with no selected reactor tech and no construction timeline, the announcement sounds more like a handwaving exercise to distract onlookers from the massive amount of energy that will be expended as Google and other companies race to capitalize on the AI boom. Google and Elementl announced the partnership in a press release on Wednesday. The tech giant will provide early-stage development capital to help prepare three sites for potential advanced nuclear facilities, each targeting at least 600 megawatts of capacity, the pair said. Typically, the term "advanced" refers to future nuclear plant designs that are meant to be quicker to build, but which generate less power than traditional nuclear plants. By way of comparison, the recently completed Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia, which is the largest in the US, has four reactors producing a total of 4,500 megawatts, according to the US Energy Information Administration. A 2024 McKinsey report claims that a "normal" datacenter being planned today consumes 200MW, up from 30MW a decade ago thanks partly to the AI boom. Unlike burning natural gas or coal, nuclear power adds no climate-warming carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, allowing Elementl CEO Chris Colbert to claim in the release, "We look forward to working with Google to execute these projects and bring safe, carbon-free, baseload electricity to the grid." Elementl also claims the agreement supports its ambition to "bring more than 10 gigawatts online in the United States by 2035." But since Google's involvement only covers three sites, that 10 GW target clearly extends beyond this deal. The companies didn't disclose locations, reactor vendors, nor the specific technologies under consideration. Google declined to provide further details beyond its joint statement with Elementl. Elementl didn't respond to questions by press time. Its public materials offer little clarity on its actual operations -- aside from broad claims about providing "turn-key project development, financing and ownership solutions customized to meet our customers' needs while mitigating risks and maximizing benefit." The nuclear developer, founded in 2022, presents itself as a facilitator of advanced reactor projects. But it has not built any reactors to date and describes itself as a "technology-agnostic nuclear power developer and independent power producer," signaling it does not back any specific reactor design. This approach aligns with the background of Elementl's CEO and chairman, Christopher Colbert, who previously served as CFO, COO, and chief strategy officer at NuScale Power. NuScale was the first (and so far only) company in the United States to receive regulatory certification for a small modular reactor (SMR) design. Despite this approval, NuScale has not yet built an operational reactor. Its flagship Carbon Free Power Project in Idaho was canceled in 2023 due to escalating costs and insufficient customer commitment. This is the second nuclear power deal that Google signed in recent months. The first came in October of last year when the search giant partnered with Kairos Power to advance its molten salt SMR design as a potential source of datacenter fuel. Kairos has received construction permits from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its Hermes and Hermes 2 demonstration reactors in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with the first reactor projected to be operational by 2027. The agreement with Google aims to bring the first reactor online by 2030, followed by additional deployments through 2035. But as The Register pointed out recently, Google's nuclear plans - along with those backed by Meta, Amazon, and others - may be too little too late to address the growing concerns that there isn't enough power to fuel the growing demand from datacenters and AI. Experts predict an "unprecedented" spike in demand, driven in part by datacenter and AI growth, that could require 3,500 TWh of new energy generation by 2027. Google's own plans for AI expansion are gigantic. Google parent company Alphabet said in its most recent earnings call last month that it intended to invest $75 billion in CapEx in 2025, much of that going to servers and datacenters to support the expansion of Google services and DeepMind AI products. At least a portion of the electricity going into those data centers is generated by burning fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming: Google itself admitted in its 2024 environmental report AI investments were a big factor as Google's carbon emissions to increase by 13 percent year-over-year, writing "Overall, our total GHG emissions increased by 13% -- highlighting the challenge of reducing emissions while compute intensity increases and we grow our technical infrastructure investment to support this AI transition." Overall, the report said, its emissions grew 48% between 2019 and 2024. Google isn't alone, either: Microsoft has admitted its AI aspirations were pushing its attempts to be sustainable further out of reach, and the datacenter industry as a whole is being increasingly blamed for allowing AI growth to trump concerns about climate change. Another abstract agreement to bring 1,800 MW of energy online by 2035 through a company that has yet to build anything is unlikely to help now, when we really need it to, but that's par for the course with the tech industry's clean energy investments in the AI era. ®

Google partners with Elementl Power on nuclear energy sites as power demand for AI grows

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Google is partnering with Elementl Power on three project sites for advanced nuclear energy as the energy required to power burgeoning artificial intelligence projects rises sharply. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, Google will provide capital for the projects, which the companies say will each produce 600 megawatts of power capacity. No dollar figure for Google's investment was given. "Our collaboration with Elementl Power enhances our ability to move at the speed required to meet this moment of AI and American innovation," said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's head of data center energy. Google and Elementl said they will collaborative with utility and regulated power companies to identify and advance new projects. "We look forward to working with Google to execute these projects and bring safe, carbon-free, baseload electricity to the grid," said Elementl Power Chairman and CEO Chris Colbert. U.S. states have been positioning themselves to meet the tech industry's power needs as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and gutting regulatory obstacles. Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy, and lawmakers this year have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, according to the trade association Nuclear Energy Institute. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government's regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. In October, Amazon announced that it was investing in small nuclear reactors, just two days after a similar announcement by Google. A month before that, Constellation Energy, the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant said it it planned to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft could secure power to supply its data centers. Three Mile Island, located on the Susquehanna River just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear power accident, in 1979. Amazon, Google and Microsoft also have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions.

Google agrees to fund three US nuclear plants

Tech giant Google and nuclear developer Elementl Power have signed an agreement to develop three advanced nuclear power plants in the United States, according to a statement released Wednesday. The partnership comes as technology companies seek new power sources to meet the growing energy demands of the generative AI revolution. Under the agreement, Google will provide early-stage development capital for three projects, each designed to generate at least 600 megawatts of power capacity, each roughly the equivalent to a standard large power plant. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), electricity consumption by data centers is projected to more than double by 2030, creating significant challenges for securing adequate energy as AI usage accelerates. Google's Global Head of Data Center Energy, Amanda Peterson Corio, said the plan helps fulfill the company's commitment to strengthening power grids. "Advanced nuclear technology provides reliable, baseload, 24/7 energy" that supports "AI and American innovation," she added. The collaboration will involve working with utility and regulated power partners to identify suitable locations, according to a joint statement from the companies. Major tech companies increasingly recognize their growing energy needs. Microsoft plans to use energy from new reactors at Three Mile Island -- the site of America's worst nuclear accident when it experienced a meltdown in 1979. Amazon also signed an agreement last year to use nuclear power for its data centers. Elementl Power will evaluate potential nuclear technology providers and construction partners while selecting specific sites for accelerated development. Although expensive and politically complicated to build, nuclear power provides consistent, zero-carbon electricity once operational. Tech companies are investing in small modular reactors (SMRs), though these compact, potentially easier-to-deploy reactors remain experimental. Amazon has announced investments in SMR projects, including a direct investment in startup X-energy. Google is partnering with Kairos Power to develop SMRs that it says could be operational as early as 2030.

Google is Building Three New Nuclear Plants for Its Extremely Power-Hungry AI

It's no secret that artifiical intelligence eats kilowatts for breakfast. Just one AI-generated image consumes as much energy as it takes to charge a smartphone. At scale, that energy demand is seriously adding up. With the mass-adoption of the energy-hungry tech, data center power usage in North America surged from 2,688 megawatts in 2022 to 5,341 by 2023, according to MIT News. That helped catapult data centers up to the 11th largest electrical consumer on the planet -- just behind the energy demands of France. At the current rate of energy consumption, the data centers powering AI are projected to become the fifth largest energy consumer by 2026. With this in mind, it's probably no surprise that Google is looking to build not just one, but three new nuclear power plants to fuel its AI data centers. The nuclear developer Elementl Power just announced a signed agreement with Google to erect three project sites for "advanced nuclear energy." "Our collaboration with Elementl Power enhances our ability to move at the speed required to meet this moment of AI and American innovation," said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's head of data center energy. The announcement doesn't say where the nuclear sites will be located, only that Google has committed "early-stage development capital to advance the development of three projects." The tech corporation's funding will be used to secure permits, energy transmission rights, and hire contractors, according to CNBC. Once all the particulars are in place, each project will open for a final round of fundraising to get the things built -- something Elementl has yet to actually do. It's not the only nuclear project Google has its sights on. Last year, the corporation inked a deal with nuclear energy provider Kairos Power to "deploy a US fleet of advanced nuclear power projects totaling 500 [megawatts] by 2035." At the time, Kairos said those sites will be located "in relevant service territories to supply clean energy to Google data centers, with the first deployment by 2030." Google could certainly use the boost. By July 2024, Google's greenhouse gas emissions had risen by 48 percent over five years, fueled by its frenzied adoption of AI. Between 2023 and 2024 alone, Google's water usage grew by 17 percent thanks to the "expansion of AI products and services [which] is leading to an increase in data center workloads and the associated water footprint required to cool them efficiently." Whether the corporation needs to be using all that energy is a different question. Though Google would have us believe this is necessary to advance to the AI age, we've seen little concrete evidence that burning all this power -- not to mention money -- is worth the trouble. So far, Google's AI has strangled the internet as we know it with garbled slop images, threatened users with death, and inundated its search engine with a hilariously flawed AI assistant. Worse yet, none of this AI adoption is organic. Google justifies its energy spend by silently forcing users of its products to use its proprietary AI, Gemini, while deliberately making its search engine worse -- a cycle which reinforces the idea that the masses are on board with AI, while simultaneously destroying any alternative to it. Whether Google will follow through with its nuclear-powered AI data centers remains to be seen. It's probably not a good sign that Google's tech rival, Microsoft, is tearing up data center contracts en masse after striking a deal to restart the nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island -- but hey, someone's gotta stir the slop.

Google partners with Elementl Power on nuclear energy sites as power demand for AI grows

WASHINGTON -- Google is partnering with Elementl Power on three project sites for advanced nuclear energy as the energy required to power burgeoning artificial intelligence projects rises sharply. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, Google will provide capital for the projects, which the companies say will each produce 600 megawatts of power capacity. No dollar figure for Google's investment was given. "Our collaboration with Elementl Power enhances our ability to move at the speed required to meet this moment of AI and American innovation," said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's head of data center energy. Google and Elementl said they will collaborative with utility and regulated power companies to identify and advance new projects. "We look forward to working with Google to execute these projects and bring safe, carbon-free, baseload electricity to the grid," said Elementl Power Chairman and CEO Chris Colbert. U.S. states have been positioning themselves to meet the tech industry's power needs as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and gutting regulatory obstacles. Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy, and lawmakers this year have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, according to the trade association Nuclear Energy Institute. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government's regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. In October, Amazon announced that it was investing in small nuclear reactors, just two days after a similar announcement by Google. A month before that, Constellation Energy, the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant said it it planned to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft could secure power to supply its data centers. Three Mile Island, located on the Susquehanna River just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear power accident, in 1979. Amazon, Google and Microsoft also have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions.

Google partners with Elementl Power on nuclear energy sites as power demand for AI grows

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Google is partnering with Elementl Power on three project sites for advanced nuclear energy as the energy required to power burgeoning artificial intelligence projects rises sharply. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, Google will provide capital for the projects, which the companies say will each produce 600 megawatts of power capacity. No dollar figure for Google's investment was given. "Our collaboration with Elementl Power enhances our ability to move at the speed required to meet this moment of AI and American innovation," said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's head of data center energy. Google and Elementl said they will collaborative with utility and regulated power companies to identify and advance new projects. "We look forward to working with Google to execute these projects and bring safe, carbon-free, baseload electricity to the grid," said Elementl Power Chairman and CEO Chris Colbert. U.S. states have been positioning themselves to meet the tech industry's power needs as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and gutting regulatory obstacles. Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy, and lawmakers this year have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, according to the trade association Nuclear Energy Institute. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government's regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. In October, Amazon announced that it was investing in small nuclear reactors, just two days after a similar announcement by Google. A month before that, Constellation Energy, the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant said it it planned to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft could secure power to supply its data centers. Three Mile Island, located on the Susquehanna River just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear power accident, in 1979. Amazon, Google and Microsoft also have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions.

Google Partners With Elementl Power on Nuclear Energy Sites as Power Demand for AI Grows

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Google is partnering with Elementl Power on three project sites for advanced nuclear energy as the energy required to power burgeoning artificial intelligence projects rises sharply. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, Google will provide capital for the projects, which the companies say will each produce 600 megawatts of power capacity. No dollar figure for Google's investment was given. "Our collaboration with Elementl Power enhances our ability to move at the speed required to meet this moment of AI and American innovation," said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's head of data center energy. Google and Elementl said they will collaborative with utility and regulated power companies to identify and advance new projects. "We look forward to working with Google to execute these projects and bring safe, carbon-free, baseload electricity to the grid," said Elementl Power Chairman and CEO Chris Colbert. U.S. states have been positioning themselves to meet the tech industry's power needs as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and gutting regulatory obstacles. Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy, and lawmakers this year have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, according to the trade association Nuclear Energy Institute. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government's regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. In October, Amazon announced that it was investing in small nuclear reactors, just two days after a similar announcement by Google. A month before that, Constellation Energy, the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant said it it planned to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft could secure power to supply its data centers. Three Mile Island, located on the Susquehanna River just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear power accident, in 1979. Amazon, Google and Microsoft also have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions. Elementl Power was founded in 2022. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Google agrees to fund three US nuclear plants

Tech giant Google and nuclear developer Elementl Power have signed an agreement to develop three advanced nuclear power plants in the United States, according to a statement released Wednesday. Under the agreement, Google will provide early-stage development capital for three projects, each designed to generate at least 600 megawatts of power capacity, each roughly the equivalent to a standard large power plant.Tech giant Google and nuclear developer Elementl Power have signed an agreement to develop three advanced nuclear power plants in the United States, according to a statement released Wednesday. The partnership comes as technology companies seek new power sources to meet the growing energy demands of the generative AI revolution. Under the agreement, Google will provide early-stage development capital for three projects, each designed to generate at least 600 megawatts of power capacity, each roughly the equivalent to a standard large power plant. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), electricity consumption by data centers is projected to more than double by 2030, creating significant challenges for securing adequate energy as AI usage accelerates. Google's Global Head of Data Center Energy, Amanda Peterson Corio, said the plan helps fulfill the company's commitment to strengthening power grids. "Advanced nuclear technology provides reliable, baseload, 24/7 energy" that supports "AI and American innovation," she added. The collaboration will involve working with utility and regulated power partners to identify suitable locations, according to a joint statement from the companies. Major tech companies increasingly recognize their growing energy needs. Microsoft plans to use energy from new reactors at Three Mile Island -- the site of America's worst nuclear accident when it experienced a meltdown in 1979. Amazon also signed an agreement last year to use nuclear power for its data centers. Elementl Power will evaluate potential nuclear technology providers and construction partners while selecting specific sites for accelerated development. Although expensive and politically complicated to build, nuclear power provides consistent, zero-carbon electricity once operational. Tech companies are investing in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), though these compact, potentially easier-to-deploy reactors remain experimental. Amazon has announced investments in SMR projects, including a direct investment in startup X-energy. Google is partnering with Kairos Power to develop SMRs that it says could be operational as early as 2030.

Google To Fund Three Nuclear Sites, Says The Move Will Allow Them To 'Move At The Speed Required To Meet This Moment Of AI And American Innovation' - Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Elementl Power announced a deal with Google to develop three new sites for advanced reactors on Wednesday Exact details remain private, but Google will be committing early-stage development capital in exchange for the option to purchase the power once the sites are complete The deal is the latest in a long string of tech companies partnering with nuclear power companies to fuel growth Nuclear power developer Elementl Power said Wednesday that it had signed a strategic agreement with Google to develop three sites for advanced reactors. "Innovative partnerships like this are necessary to mobilize the capital required to build new nuclear projects, which are critical to deliver safe, affordable and clean baseload power and help companies advance their long-term net zero goals," said Chris Colbert, Elementl Power's CEO. Don't Miss: 'Scrolling To UBI' -- Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can invest today for just $0.30/share with a $1000 minimum. Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing -- this is your last chance to become an investor for $0.80 per share. Exact details of the deal were not disclosed, but Google has agreed to commit early-stage development capital to advance the progression of the three projects. In exchange, the tech company will have the option to buy the power once the sites are complete and operational, the announcement said. "Google is committed to catalyzing projects that strengthen the power grids where we operate, and advanced nuclear technology provides reliable, baseload, 24/7 energy," said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's global head of data center energy, in Elementl's statement. "Our collaboration with Elementl Power enhances our ability to move at the speed required to meet this moment of AI and American innovation." Elementl Power was founded in 2022 as a nuclear power project developer. The company has yet to build any sites. It also hasn't chosen what reactors it will use in future projects, according to CNBC, instead opting to wait and see which reactor technology is furthest along in development when the time comes. Trending: Nancy Pelosi Invested $5 Million In An AI Company Last Year -- Here's How You Can Invest In Multiple Pre-IPO AI Startups With Just $1,000. Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target - Many are rushing to grab 4,000 of its pre-IPO shares for just $0.26/share! Mode Mobile developed a smartphone called EarnPhone, which allows users to earn and save money by playing video games, listening to music and reading the news. With the phone priced at an affordable $99, the barriers to adoption are low. Earning Opportunity for All Smartphone Users Mode EarnPhone State-of-the-art smartphone device includes built-in earning features. EarnOS Proprietary earning software turns smartphones into EarnPhones. Min. Investment: $1000 Share Price: $0.26 Valuation: $310M Click To Learn More About Mode Mobile Once these proposed projects reach final investment stages, Google and Elementl Power will work together to find other sources of capital, according to the statement. Each project is aiming for at least 600 MW of capacity. The number is in line with Elementl Power's overall goal of adding 10 GW of power to the nuclear grid by 2035. This is not the first nuclear power deal Google has made within the last year. In October, it said it would be buying power from small modular power reactor company Kairos Power. At the time, Google said that the first reactor would be online by 2030, with more following through 2035. See Also: Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary called Missing Ring his biggest mistake -- Don't repeat history -- invest in RYSE at just $1.90/share. The need for new power sources to support data centers has been a concern among tech giants for some time. Kevin Miller, Amazon's AMZN vice president of global data centers, told CNBC last month, "We continue to see very strong demand [for power], and we're looking both in the next couple years as well as long term and seeing the numbers only going up." At the same time, Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark told CNBC "we're seeing... tremendous growth in the need for new baseload power. We're seeing unprecedented growth." He predicted that 50 GW of new power capacity, which is equivalent to 50 new nuclear plants, will be needed by 2027 to support AI growth. Read Next: Invest Where It Hurts -- And Help Millions Heal: Invest in Cytonics and help disrupt a $390B Big Pharma stronghold. Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target - Many are rushing to grab 4,000 of its pre-IPO shares for just $0.30/share! 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