Google to Back TAE Technologies Nuclear Fusion Energy
Google has expanded its investment in TAE Technologies through the fusion energy company's latest funding round, marking a decade of collaboration between the tech giant and the California-based nuclear fusion developer.
The partnership comes as Google continues to confront mounting energy demands from AI and data centre operations that have driven greenhouse gas emissions up 48% since 2019.
TAE Technologies has raised nearly US$1.3bn in equity capital since its inception and achieved a breakthrough in April 2025 when its “Norm” device achieved stable plasma at temperatures exceeding 70 million °C using only neural beam injection.
Such an achievement represents progress towards commercial fusion power generation that could address the energy challenges facing hyperscale data centre operators.
“We've been an investor in TAE since 2015 and recently participated in TAE's latest funding round, positioning them as a leading contender in the race to achieve fusion,” says Ross Koningstein, Engineering Director Emeritus at Google Research.
“We look forward to TAE's continued progress with their distinctive pathway to fusion – one of our bets for a cleaner energy future.”
TAE Technologies breakthrough aims to reduce reactor complexity
The nuclear fusion process generates nearly four times more energy per kilogram of fuel than nuclear fission, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IEA). This represents nearly four million times more energy density than coal or oil combustion, which could transform the economics of data centre power generation if successfully commercialised.
TAE’s “Norm” breakthrough represented a shift in fusion reactor design by using Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) magnetic confinement technology. This approach reduces the number of magnets required to confine plasma and makes the device more power efficient to operate compared to traditional fusion reactor designs.
Likewise, its aneutronic fusion approach carries most energy through charged particles rather than neutrons, which minimises radiation shielding requirements compared to conventional nuclear fission reactors.
The technology also eliminates the long-lived radioactive waste associated with current nuclear power generation and reduces the infrastructure requirements that have limited nuclear deployment in data centre applications.
"Fusion has the potential to transform the energy landscape, providing near-limitless clean power at a time when the world's energy needs are growing exponentially due to the growth of AI and data centres," says Michl Binderbauer, CEO of TAE Technologies.
“TAE's technology uses the soundest physics to deliver superior performance in a compact machine, with attractive economics and best-in-class maintainability. We are leading the charge to develop revolutionary fusion technology for full-scale commercial deployment.”
Why Google is so interested in nuclear fusion
Google Research has collaborated with TAE since 2015, applying AI to improve plasma temperature and lifetime while developing understanding of plasma behaviour.
Its engineers have worked onsite at TAE facilities to co-develop plasma reconstruction algorithms and optimisation tools, including the “Optometrist Algorithm” that accelerated TAE's reactor performance improvements.
The collaboration addresses Google’s mounting energy challenges as AI workloads expand. Google's greenhouse gas emissions increased 13% year-over-year in 2023, primarily driven by increased data centre energy consumption and supply chain emissions.
The company targets net zero emissions across all operations and its value chain by 2030, supported by goals to use 24/7 carbon-free energy.
“In spite of the progress we are making, we face significant challenges that we're actively working through,” wrote Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer, and Benedict Gomes, SVP Learning & Sustainability, in Google's 2024 Sustainability Report.
“In 2023, our total GHG emissions increased 13% year-over-year, primarily driven by increased data centre energy consumption and supply chain emissions.”
Many technology companies are evaluating small modular reactors (SMRs) to power data centres, but there are still radioactive waste anxieties associated with the technology – not to mention it requires nuclear fuel to be mined.
Fusion energy offers abundant fuel sources and produces helium as its primary waste product, which could potentially address the sustainability concerns that limit nuclear fission deployment.
Commercialising nuclear fusion
Commercial fusion power could transform global energy systems by providing baseload power generation without the intermittency challenges of renewable energy sources or the waste products of nuclear fission.
TAE’s fusion approach differs from magnetic confinement methods used by other fusion developers by focusing on Field-Reversed Configuration plasma containment. “Norm” also achieved stable plasma formation using simplified injection systems, reducing the size, complexity and cost compared to previous reactor designs.
Michael Terrell, Head of Advanced Energy at Google, says: “We'll need to take many shots on goal in this next frontier of energy innovation: that means accelerating advanced energy solutions to unlock new clean firm capacity within the next decade, as well as longer-term bets like nuclear fusion.”
Explore the latest edition of Data Centre Magazine and be part of the conversation at our global conference series, Tech & AI LIVE and Data Centre LIVE. Discover all our upcoming events and secure your tickets today.
Data Centre Magazine is a BizClik brand
