Google Taps Next-Generation Nuclear to Power Data Centers
- Tharindu Ameresekere
- Aug 29, 2025
- 2 min read
Google, Kairos Power, and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) have struck a landmark deal to supply 50 megawatts of nuclear power to Google’s data centers in Tennessee and Alabama. The agreement represents a major step in meeting the surging electricity demands of U.S. data centers while advancing next-generation nuclear technology.
Under the deal, Kairos’s Hermes 2 Plant in Oak Ridge will begin feeding power into TVA’s grid by 2030. TVA becomes the first U.S. utility to purchase electricity from a fourth-generation (GEN IV) nuclear reactor. Initially producing 28 megawatts, Hermes 2 will scale to 50 megawatts as part of a broader agreement with Google to deliver 500 megawatts by 2035—enough to power about 350,000 homes.
Google says the project underscores a new three-way collaboration between energy customers, utilities, and technology developers to deliver reliable, affordable, and locally sourced clean energy. The electricity will support Google’s data centers in Montgomery County, Tennessee, and Jackson County, Alabama.
Big Tech’s massive computing needs, fueled by artificial intelligence and cloud services, are driving record power consumption across the U.S. A GridStrategies report forecasts nationwide electricity demand will grow nearly 16% by 2029, while the International Energy Agency projects U.S. data center usage alone could rise 130% between 2024 and 2030.
Other tech giants are also embracing nuclear power to secure low-carbon energy. Microsoft has signed a 20-year deal with Constellation that could restart the Three Mile Island Unit 1 reactor, while Amazon announced three nuclear partnerships last year with Energy Northwest, X-energy, and Dominion Energy.
For Google, the TVA partnership marks not only a milestone in deploying advanced nuclear but also a potential model for how utilities, developers, and tech companies can work together to power the digital economy’s future.
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