Google did not buy an operating nuclear plant or wire a reactor directly to a data center. On October 14, 2024, it signed a Master Plant Development Agreement with Kairos Power to develop a U.S. fleet capable of supplying up to 500 megawatts (MW) of advanced-nuclear capacity by 2035. The first project is the planned 50-MW Hermes 2 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which is targeted to begin operations in 2030 and would supply electricity to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) grid serving Google facilities in Tennessee and Alabama.
What Google actually agreed to
The 2024 agreement is a development and purchasing framework, not a completed power-plant purchase. Kairos is responsible for developing, constructing and operating projects. Google is expected to buy electricity, ancillary services and environmental attributes through future power-purchase agreements (PPAs).
The headline figure is up to 500 MW by 2035. It is a capacity target, not 500 MW already available to Google and not a guarantee that all projects will be built on schedule. Public announcements do not disclose the electricity price, Google’s total financial commitment, cost-overrun allocation, penalties or termination rights.
Some early reports described the arrangement as Google buying seven reactors. Official descriptions are more precise: a multi-project framework. Kairos currently describes a commercial configuration of six units totaling 450 MWe, alongside Hermes 2’s 50-MW deployment, but final unit counts are not the central contractual fact.
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Google’s announcement and Kairos’ description of the agreement explain the framework and the planned PPAs.
Why Google wants nuclear power for AI
AI training and inference are increasing electricity demand at data-center campuses. Google says it needs reliable, around-the-clock power while pursuing its 24/7 carbon-free-energy goals. Nuclear generation can provide firm output without the direct operational carbon emissions associated with fossil-fuel generation and without relying on wind or sunlight at the exact moment electricity is needed.
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- Firm supply: Nuclear plants can operate independently of short-term weather conditions.
- Grid growth: New generation could help meet rising data-center demand where transmission and renewable projects cannot expand quickly enough.
- Portfolio diversification: Nuclear is one element of Google’s broader energy strategy, not a claim that all of its AI infrastructure will run exclusively on nuclear power.
- Market creation: A long-term corporate buyer can give a new reactor company an early customer while it develops a repeatable product.
“Carbon-free” describes the parties’ intended electricity supply. It does not by itself resolve lifecycle emissions, radioactive-waste management, fuel production or construction impacts.
Hermes 2 is the first project
Hermes 2 is planned for Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In an August 18, 2025 arrangement, Kairos agreed to sell up to 50 MW to TVA, and TVA would place the electricity on its grid. That grid serves Google data centers in Tennessee and Alabama. Google would procure clean-energy attributes through TVA.
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This is a utility-grid arrangement, not a private reactor physically connected only to Google’s servers. The project broke ground on April 17, 2026. Kairos currently lists a 2030 operational target, subject to construction, testing and further licensing.
Timeline: announcement to planned operation
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| October 14, 2024 | Google and Kairos announce the framework for up to 500 MW by 2035. |
| November 21, 2024 | The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issues Hermes 2 construction permits. |
| August 18, 2025 | Google, Kairos and TVA announce the up-to-50-MW grid and PPA structure. |
| April 17, 2026 | Kairos breaks ground on Hermes 2 in Oak Ridge. |
| 2030 target | Hermes 2 is expected to begin operations, subject to construction and licensing. |
| 2035 target | The broader Google-Kairos program aims for up to 500 MW of capacity. |
Sources: Google, the NRC, Google’s TVA announcement and Kairos’ groundbreaking notice.
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How Kairos’ reactor design works
Kairos is developing a fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR). It uses TRISO fuel particles embedded in graphite pebbles and fluoride salt as the coolant. Kairos emphasizes high-temperature operation, low-pressure coolant operation compared with conventional high-pressure water reactors, modular construction and prefabrication.
The NRC describes Hermes 2 as two low-power test reactors, each rated at 35 MW thermal, using high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel. Kairos’ commercial Hermes 2 description uses a 50-MWe plant rating. Thermal megawatts measure heat; electrical megawatts measure generated electricity, so the figures are not interchangeable. See the NRC project description and Kairos’ design overview.
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Construction approval is not operating approval
The NRC issued construction permits for the two Hermes 2 units on November 21, 2024. Those permits authorize construction; they do not authorize commercial operation. Kairos must obtain additional regulatory approvals, including an operating license application and review, before the reactors can generate electricity commercially. The NRC’s notice explains this distinction at https://www.nrc.gov/cdn/doc-collection-news/2024/24-068.pdf.
Why the deal matters to advanced nuclear
Building one demonstration reactor is different from producing a financeable fleet at predictable cost and schedule. Kairos says repeated deployments can create learning effects, improve manufacturing and provide greater cost certainty. Google’s prospective demand supplies market pull before the design has reached broad commercial deployment.
That commitment does not remove first-of-a-kind risks. The project still depends on licensing, construction, financing, fuel supply and the ability to manufacture components repeatedly. Kairos’ development strategy is outlined at https://www.kairospower.com/iterative-development.
What could delay or weaken the plan
- Schedule and commissioning: A 2030 target depends on construction, testing and regulatory approval.
- Fuel supply: The design requires HALEU and TRISO fuel, whose production capacity and supply chain must scale.
- Cost and financing: Public announcements do not establish capital cost, electricity price, overruns or who bears them.
- Licensing: Construction permits are not operating licenses.
- Grid connection: TVA interconnection and utility execution must proceed before output can serve the regional grid.
- Local impacts: Land, water, transmission, emergency planning, waste handling and community acceptance remain site-specific issues.
- Output uncertainty: “Up to 500 MW” does not mean continuous delivery to one Google facility or guaranteed completion by 2035.
What this announcement does—and does not—mean
- It does mean: Google is helping create a potential market for a repeatable advanced-reactor fleet.
- It does not mean: an operating nuclear plant is supplying Google today.
- It does not mean: Hermes 2 will directly power Google’s servers through a dedicated wire.
- It does not mean: Google owns seven reactors.
- It does not mean: all 500 MW is binding, online or continuously available; later projects require further development and PPAs.
- It does not disclose: a public price per megawatt-hour, total contract value or cost-allocation terms.
What to watch next
The practical test is whether Hermes 2 moves from groundbreaking to licensed operation and whether later projects receive binding PPAs and published commercial terms. Key milestones include construction progress, NRC operating approvals, HALEU and TRISO fuel procurement, TVA interconnection and additional site or fleet announcements. The central question is whether Google’s long-term demand and purchasing commitment can overcome the cost, schedule and manufacturing risks that have historically slowed new nuclear construction.
Current project information is available from Kairos’ status update and its Google partnership summary.
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