Microsoft (MSFT), Google (GOOG, GOOGL), and Amazon (AMZN) have recently been at the forefront of deals involving Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) for clean energy usage. US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm joins Market Domination to discuss this energy transition and its implications.
Granholm explains that AI data centers are still in their building phase, and it’s “not going to happen overnight.” She notes an increase in “hyperscalers” entering power purchase agreements with utility companies to “get them across the finish line.” The Energy Department, she adds, is focused on ensuring these data centers are powered by clean energy as the transition progresses.
Highlighting the potential of SMRs, Granholm explains, “Those are able to… be virtually connected to a data center to be able to power that center with clean baseload power, not intermittent power,” adding she is “excited about this movement.”
However, she acknowledges the challenge of widespread SMR adoption, noting that tech companies need an “nth of a kind experience,” explaining, “nobody wants to be the one to buy the first one.”
“If all of these tech companies kind of band together and not ask for different designs, different specifications, but if they can agree on basic power, then you can order a six pack or a 12 pack of these small modular reactors and be able to power your data centers,” Granholm states, noting rising interest from Big Tech in these reactors to be able to “bring their own power with them.”
Catch Yahoo Finance’s full interviews with Kairos Power CEO Mike Laufer and X-energy CEO Clay Sell on their respective energy partnerships with Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Amazon (AMZN).
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This post was written by Angel Smith