But this isn’t just a story about energy, it’s about the next phase of infrastructure transformation. The move is set to impact not just hyperscale compute, but also subsea cables, edge data centres, backhaul networks, and the wider global telecoms ecosystem.
Rivals like Microsoft and Amazon are also exploring long-term clean energy partnerships, but Google’s nuclear focus marks a bolder strategic shift.
As AI workloads soar, energy becomes as central to digital infrastructure as fibre, spectrum, and silicon. The question for the telecoms and infrastructure industry is now clear: if Google is reengineering its power supply chain, how long before the rest of us must follow?
Last week, Google signed a 200MW power purchase agreement with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), an MIT spinout aiming to build the world’s first commercial fusion reactor by the early 2030s, though most experts agree commercial fusion remains at least a decade away, even with optimistic timelines.
That comes on top of existing deals with Kairos Power for small modular reactors (SMRs), and a string of geothermal projects with Fervo Energy in the US and Baseload Capital in Taiwan. It also added 1.3GW of solar capacity in H1 2025 alone.
Taken together, these investments point to a profound shift: Google is no longer content with merely buying renewable certificates, it is investing directly into firm, carbon-free generation designed to operate 24/7 and close to compute-intensive infrastructure.
Energy procurement is no longer just an ESG issue, it is becoming a primary factor in infrastructure planning. Just as data centres once followed cheap land and cool climates, the next generation of AI and cloud facilities may begin to cluster near nuclear SMRs, geothermal hubs, or fusion pilot plants.
This could have wide-reaching consequences for fibre deployment, backhaul design, and long-haul route planning. Regions with reliable, zero-carbon power could attract new hyperscaler footprints and demand a parallel uplift in metro, subsea landing, and interconnection infrastructure.
For subsea operators and investors, the implications are also compelling. Traditionally, cable landing decisions have prioritised geopolitical stability, physical geography, and proximity to major IXPs. But in an era of energy scarcity and sustainability pressures, power source availability may enter the equation.
Green energy hubs could increasingly influence the location of future digital infrastructure. Could we see a future where green energy hubs reshape global data infrastructure? As hyperscalers build data centres near stable, zero-carbon power sources, cable landing stations may need to shift accordingly, keeping subsea systems close to the compute they feed.
Edge data centres, designed to reduce latency by bringing compute closer to users, have long faced one major challenge: power availability. Many rural or peri-urban sites struggle with grid constraints, limited renewables, or transmission bottlenecks.
SMRs and modular geothermal solutions could flip this script. By enabling firm, localised power production, they open the door to new classes of edge deployments, ones that are not only viable from a latency perspective but sustainable from an energy standpoint.
Telcos have traditionally left energy to the utilities, focusing instead on network rollout and spectrum auctions. Hyperscalers, meanwhile, are reshaping their energy footprints with a strategic long-term view. If telecom operators and data centre providers fail to rethink their approach to power, especially as AI drives bandwidth and processing requirements skyward, they risk falling behind.
This emerging energy divide could mirror the digital divide of a decade ago. Operators that adapt quickly will benefit from lower long-term costs, regulatory favour, and enhanced ESG credentials. Those that don’t may find themselves locked out of future infrastructure partnerships with cloud providers, governments, or multinationals seeking green-by-design service offerings.
The net-zero race is no longer optional. With regulatory pressure mounting in Europe, APAC and North America, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions are under increased scrutiny from investors and policymakers alike. Google’s direct investment into clean energy sources allows it to show real-world carbon reductions, not just paper offsets.
Telecom operators and data centre builders will face similar pressures. Being able to trace a packet from fibre to server and prove it was powered by zero-carbon electricity will become a commercial differentiator, and perhaps, eventually, a legal requirement.
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