WEBVTT

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- Google is purchasing nuclear energy

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to support its power hungry
artificial intelligence

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projects.

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The tech Giant has commissioned
several new small modular

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reactors or SMRs from Alameda,

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California based nuclear power startup.

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Kairos Power Google Parent
Alphabet announced Monday under

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the agreement Google plans

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to get the first power plant
online by 2030, followed

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by additional reactor
deployments through 2035.

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The deal will add 500 megawatts of power

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to US electric grids as it looks

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to satisfy growing electricity
demands from its data centers

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using carbon free energy sources.

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The company said this helps
accelerate a new technology

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to meet energy needs cleanly and reliably,

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and unlock the full
potential of AI for everyone.

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The announcement follows an
agreement between Microsoft

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and Energy Firm Constellation last month

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that will reopen one of
the nuclear reactors on

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Pennsylvania's three Mile Island

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to power Microsoft's data centers.

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An independent but neighboring
reactor at the nuclear site

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was home to the worst
meltdown ever at a US

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commercial nuclear power plant.

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In 1979, the Microsoft project known

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as the Crane Clean
Energy Center is expected

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to go online in 2028.

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The company said it's
expected to provide upwards

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of 800 megawatts to the grid.

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Google's partnership with
Kairos is its latest effort

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to scale up its energy
capacity as AI continues

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to bring energy supply
questions to the fore.

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Last November, Google
developed a geothermal project

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with developer VO Energy
that supplies power

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to its data centers in Nevada.

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The company has said it hopes

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to entirely operate its data centers

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and office campuses using 24
7 carbon free energy by 2030.

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Google's greenhouse gas
emissions rose by 48%

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between 2019 and 2023.

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It disclosed in a sustainability
report earlier this year.

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Also, in 2023,

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total data center electricity
consumption at Google grew

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17%.

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A trend it said it expects will continue.

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Google attributed the surge
to increases in data center,

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energy consumption

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and supply chain emissions, particularly

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as a company continues to
integrate AI into its products.

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I'm Rocio Fabro reporting for Quartz.

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Thanks for watching and stick with qz.com.