Kairos Power has selected engineering firm Samsung C&T to assist in the construction of its 50-megawatt demonstration nuclear reactor, a facility intended to supply power to Google. The collaboration is part of an effort to complete the project by 2030.
Under the terms of the agreement announced Monday, Samsung C&T will contribute an equity investment of $70 million and provide in-kind engineering services, totaling a potential value of $100 million. Samsung C&T brings significant experience to the project, having constructed or assisted in building approximately a dozen nuclear reactors worldwide.
This partnership highlights the growing momentum among nuclear startups driven by the surge in electricity demand from AI data centers. Google initially signed a deal with Kairos in the fall of 2024, requesting the construction of nuclear reactors capable of generating roughly half a gigawatt of electricity by 2035. The current 50 MW reactor represents the first phase of that commitment.
Kairos is currently developing two reactors at its site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The first, Hermes 1, serves as a low-power demonstrator designed to help the company refine its commercial design. The second, Hermes 2, will be Kairos’s first commercial-scale reactor. Hermes 2 is expected to begin operations in 2030, aligning with the startup’s original timeline agreed upon with Google.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted Kairos approval to build these reactors in November 2024. The Hermes 2 design is a fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor, a concept that has been discussed for years but never before realized at a commercial scale. The use of fluoride salts, which have high boiling points, helps maintain low pressure levels within the system, thereby reducing the risk of high-pressure blowouts in the event of component failures.
Additionally, the startup utilizes TRISO fuel, a relatively novel nuclear fuel type that encases microscopic uranium seeds in layers of ceramic and carbon. These are then formed into billiard ball-sized spheres, an arrangement engineered to prevent meltdowns. With a five-year window to launch its first power plant, Kairos faces an accelerated but feasible timeline in the nuclear industry. To meet the broader obligations of its contract with Google, the company will need to expedite the deployment of subsequent reactors, a goal that the involvement of Samsung C&T may facilitate.
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