2 Small Nuclear Reactors for Google AI Get Approval
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Kairos Power, a small modular reactor (SMR) startup, has officially received a green light from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to construct two test reactors in Tennessee, US.
This is a monumental step for the company, as it advances toward becoming a supplier for tech giant Google, delivering 500 megawatts of power to its data centers starting in 2030.
But let’s unpack what makes this development more than just another headline about nuclear energy—and why it might finally put nuclear on the map for a green energy revolution.
The reactors Kairos plans to build are not your grandfather’s nuclear power plants. Dubbed Hermes 2, these reactors are designed with next-gen innovation that aims to tackle some of the biggest challenges of traditional nuclear energy—cost, safety, and scalability.
Each reactor will produce 35 megawatts of heat, which will then be converted into 20 megawatts of electricity via a turbine. These are scaled-down versions of what Kairos envisions for its commercial operation: a dual-reactor setup capable of delivering a combined 150 megawatts of clean, nuclear power.
Unlike conventional reactors that use water as a coolant, Hermes 2 uses molten fluoride salt. Think of it as a liquid thermos for nuclear fuel—it’s ridiculously good at retaining heat and operates at low pressure, reducing the risk of explosive failures.
This means that even in worst-case scenarios, you won’t see high-pressure radioactive material bursting forth like a scene from a Hollywood disaster movie. Additionally, the reactors employ uranium fuel encased in carbon and ceramic shells, which are so sturdy they can withstand extreme heat without releasing radioactive material. If nuclear energy had a Michelin star for safety, this would be a contender.
Molten salt reactors aren’t new—Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the spiritual home of this technology, pioneered the concept in the 1960s. However, Kairos has made significant advancements by optimizing the design for commercial viability.
Fluoride salts, with their sky-high boiling points, enable the reactor to operate under low pressure while allowing passive convection as a backup cooling system. In layman's terms, if the power goes out, the system can cool itself without needing pumps or external intervention. This feature alone qualifies Hermes 2 as a "Generation IV" reactor, a fancy label for next-level nuclear tech designed to be safer and more efficient.
Kairos’ progress has been relatively swift by nuclear standards, with the NRC issuing the construction permit in just 18 months—a blink of an eye compared to the typical slog of regulatory approval.
The company has also secured a hefty $303 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, signaling the government’s confidence in its vision. Still, Kairos faces the herculean task of meeting its 2030 deadline for the first reactor under the Google deal and completing the rest by 2035. In the glacial world of nuclear energy, a decade is often barely enough time to get a reactor off the drawing board, let alone operational.
This project isn’t just a win for Kairos and Google; it’s a potential game-changer for nuclear energy’s image problem.
Nuclear has long been viewed as the expensive, bureaucratic sibling of renewables like solar and wind. But with innovations like those from Kairos, the industry could finally shed its reputation for being stuck in the Cold War era. If successful, the Hermes 2 reactors could demonstrate that nuclear power is not only safe and scalable but also an essential piece of the clean energy puzzle.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. As Google races to power its energy-hungry data centers with renewable sources, and the world grapples with the dual crises of energy demand and climate change, nuclear could step out of the shadows as the unexpected hero.
Kairos might just be the company to make that happen, proving that when it comes to solving the world’s energy problems, sometimes the answer lies in melting salt and high-tech ceramic shells.
And hey, if we’re lucky, this could be the beginning of a nuclear renaissance that’s as much about innovation as it is about practicality.