Google has announced it will invest $20 billion in renewable energy through a partnership with energy developer Intersect Power and investor TPG Rise Climate.
The project aims to provide enough electricity for AI data centers around the world. It is one of Google's biggest efforts to meet growing energy needs as it expands the scope of AI operations.
The deal includes an $800 million investment in Intersect Power, with TPG leading the round with participation from Google, CAI and Greenbelt Capital Partners.
Intersect Power will manage the first in a series of renewable energy projects that Google is developing to reduce its reliance on grid power.
According to the plan, each gigawatt modular AI data center will be combined with an equivalent amount of renewable energy facilities such as solar power and system storage batteries, enough to provide energy for a period of two to four hours per day.
Google said it would cover the cost of upgrading the power grid if needed to integrate this infrastructure into the existing power system.
The development will be done in phases, with the first phase starting in 2026 and completed in 2027. Google's goal is to ensure the new AI data centers are ready to provide services before demand exceeds current capacity.
This growth scenario also reflects the overwhelming demand for renewable energy in the US, where there are more than 11,860 pending requests to connect to the grid, totaling 2.05 terawatts of capacity – nearly double the existing capacity. The majority of these are solar and battery storage projects, which are optimal options for building the infrastructure needed to meet the growing demand for the technology.
Google hopes the rapid development of renewable energy will help its AI data centers become self-sufficient in power before nuclear developers complete larger projects. The fastest nuclear projects today, like Microsoft’s Three Mile Island reactor, are expected to be operational by 2028, while projects by small modular reactor startup Kairos and Amazon with X-Energy are not expected to be completed until early 2030.
