US small modular reactor (SMR) developer Kairos Power has selected South Korean engineering firm Samsung C&T to support construction of its 50MW demonstration reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which will supply energy to Google under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

The reactor is slated for completion by 2030 and would represent one of, if not the first, Generation IV nuclear reactors to be built. As part of the deal, Samsung C&T will provide up to $100 million through a combination of an equity investment in Kairos and in-kind engineering services, subject to regulatory approvals. Samsung C&T has also agreed to join Kairos Power’s integrated engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) team alongside other partners.

“Samsung C&T’s investment and partnership reinforce the disciplined delivery model at the core of our commercialization strategy,” said Mike Laufer, CEO and co-founder of Kairos Power. “We look forward to working with the Samsung C&T team to strengthen the integrated capabilities needed to deliver high-quality advanced reactors to customers with greater cost and schedule certainty.”

“Samsung C&T is pleased to collaborate with Kairos Power as it advances a differentiated approach to clean-energy deployment,” added Alex CW Lee, head of energy solutions at Samsung C&T. “Working together, we aim to support successful project delivery and build a foundation for broader commercialization of this promising advanced reactor technology.”

Kairos broke ground at the Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant in April. When completed, the reactor is expected to supply 50MW of electricity to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) grid to support Google data centers. The power will be delivered under a PPA signed in August of last year.

The plant aims to demonstrate the company’s Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactor (KP-FHR) technology. The SMR diverges from traditional Gen III water-cooled reactors by using fluoride molten salt as a coolant, combined with a ceramic, pebble-type fuel, to transport heat to a steam turbine and generate power.

Google first backed Kairos in 2024, inking a corporate deal to purchase up to 500MW of power across six to seven reactors.

SMRs have seen huge interest from the data center world over recent years, as operators scramble to find reliable power sources to power their facilities. Most recently, Crusoe partnered with Aalo Atomics on what could be the first nuclear-powered AI data center at the Idaho National Laboratory.

A swathe of other data center operators and hyperscalers have supported the technology. Notable examples include Data4, Oracle, Switch, and Equinix.