Google hopes to spark chain reaction with nuclear energy investment

Google has become the latest tech giant to seek nuclear power as a source for its datacenters and other operations.

The ads and search giant on Monday announced it had purchased nuclear energy from multiple small modular reactors (SMRs) to be developed by an outfit called Kairos Power.

Kairos describes its tech as "a novel advanced reactor technology that leverages TRISO fuel in pebble form combined with a low-pressure fluoride salt coolant. The technology uses an efficient and flexible steam cycle to convert heat from fission into electricity and to complement renewable energy sources."

TRISO is an abbreviation for "TRi-structural ISOtropic particle fuel" and according to the US Department of Energy is "the most robust nuclear fuel on Earth."

The Department explains that the fuel is formed into pellets about the size of a poppy seed that has three outer layers of carbon and ceramic-based materials that shield an inner ...