Finance Associated Press, October 15 (Editor Zhou Ziyi) On Monday, October 14, Google has signed an agreement with the nuclear energy startup Kairos Power, which will build seven small modular nuclear reactors to power Google's datacenter.

This agreement promises that with the increasing energy demand in datacenters and ai, Google plans to purchase electricity from Kairos for six to seven small modular reactors (SMRs), while Kairos will provide Google with approximately 500 megawatts of carbon-free electricity.

According to the agreement, the first small modular reactor will be operational before 2030, with more deployments by 2035. Both companies have not disclosed the financial details and construction sites of the agreement, and it is currently unclear whether these reactors will be directly connected to Google sites or integrated into the power grid.

Google's Energy and Climate Director Michael Terrell stated that through the agreement with Kairos, Google will obtain carbon-free electricity, marking a milestone in Google's 15-year journey towards clean energy.

Terrell added, "We believe that nuclear energy plays a key role in supporting our clean growth and advancing ai."

By this deal, Google joins the ranks of Microsoft and Amazon, as these large technology companies are all seeking to use nuclear energy to meet their high demands for electrical utilities.

In September this year, Microsoft announced an agreement with Constellation Energy to restart the Three Mile Island reactor closed in 2019 and purchase electric energy for the next 20 years; earlier this year, Amazon also stated that it would establish a mega-scale datacenter and directly link it to another nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.

Challenges lie ahead.

Currently, most nuclear power plants are large facilities capable of providing 1000 megawatts or more of electrical utilities, but require years of planning and nearly a decade of construction.

Kairos is one of the new nuclear energy startups, they are building so-called small modular reactors, attempting to reduce costs and accelerate the construction speed of nuclear power plants.

These reactors, due to their simplified design and strong inherent safety, provide a new pathway to accelerate nuclear deployment. The smaller size and modular design can also shorten the construction time, allow deployment in more locations, and make the final project delivery more predictable.

According to the data from the US Department of Energy (DOE), nuclear power has the largest economic impact among all sources of electricity generation, creating high-wage long-term employment opportunities. The institution estimates that by 2050, the advanced nuclear power capacity in the USA will reach 200 gigawatt-hours, requiring an additional 375,000 workers.

Kairos is also attempting to further advance the SMR technology, using molten salt with lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride instead of water to cool the reactors. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission of the United States has approved this startup company's plan to build a 35-megawatt demonstration reactor.

Despite obtaining regulatory approval, Kairos still faces multiple challenges. Firstly, there are no commercially operational small modular reactors yet, meaning its economic viability is largely unproven. Secondly, Kairos's molten salt cooling design disrupts decades of industry experience with water-cooled reactors.

However, Kairos' greatest challenge may not be technical but rather public acceptance. Data from the Pew Research Center shows that 56% of Americans support nuclear energy, while 44% are still against it. Most importantly, once the location of small reactors (closer to urban centers) is taken into account, the number of opponents may increase further.

Compared to nuclear energy, more people support wind energy and solar energy, both of which are currently available and cost far lower than building new nuclear power plants.