Kairos Power has selected South Korean engineering and construction giant Samsung C&T to join the build-out of its 50-megawatt demonstration nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, bringing up to USD 100 million in combined equity investment and in-kind engineering services to a project that will ultimately supply power to Google data centers.

The two companies announced the signing of a binding term sheet on September 21, 2026, formalizing a strategic investment and construction collaboration centered on Kairos Power's Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactor technology, known as the KP-FHR. The reactor, designated the Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant, broke ground in April 2026 and is slated for completion by 2030.

Investment Structure and Partnership Scope

Under the binding term sheet, Samsung C&T will provide up to USD 100 million through a combination of direct equity investment in Kairos Power and in-kind engineering services, with the full arrangement subject to regulatory approvals.

The investment is intended to strengthen Kairos Power's financial position as it advances the Hermes 2 plant and prepares for broader commercial deployment of its reactor technology.

Beyond the financial component, Samsung C&T has agreed to join Kairos Power's integrated engineering, procurement, and construction team alongside other partners already engaged on the project.

The two companies plan to collaborate on selected engineering and construction activities, with an initial focus on power-generation systems and balance-of-plant scope.

Kairos Power will retain leadership over reactor technology, engineering, manufacturing, procurement, and construction for the nuclear island, while Samsung C&T supports the surrounding infrastructure.

The announcement builds on a trilateral memorandum of understanding signed on August 18 by Samsung C&T, Kairos Power, and Barnard Construction, which had aimed to establish an early framework for reliable project execution ahead of the formal binding agreement.

Technology and Regulatory Background

The Hermes 2 plant is designed to demonstrate KP-FHR technology at a scale sufficient to reduce technical, licensing, manufacturing, and construction uncertainty before full-size commercial plants are developed.

The reactor diverges from conventional Generation III water-cooled reactors by using molten fluoride salt as a coolant, combined with TRISO particle fuel in a ceramic, pebble-type configuration, to transport heat to a steam turbine and generate electricity. Kairos Power received construction permits from the U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the Hermes 2 plant in December 2024.

The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting the technology's development through an Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program risk reduction award. When completed, the 50-megawatt grid-connected reactor would represent one of, if not the first, Generation IV nuclear reactors to be built.

The plant is designed for multi-unit, modular deployment and is intended to serve as the template for a standardized commercial KP-FHR design that Kairos Power and Samsung C&T plan to pursue together at a broader scale.

Google Power Agreement and TVA Grid Connection

The electricity generated by Hermes 2 will be delivered to the Tennessee Valley Authority grid under a Power Purchase Agreement signed with Google in August 2025, supporting Google data center operations in the region.

The arrangement represents part of a larger corporate commitment Google made in 2024, when it agreed to purchase up to 500 megawatts of power from Kairos Power across six to seven reactors.

The Google relationship underscores the growing appetite among hyperscale data center operators for firm, carbon-free power sources as demand for computing capacity accelerates.

Samsung C&T's involvement is positioned by both companies as reinforcing the project's credibility and delivery model ahead of that broader commercialization push.

Executive Statements on the Deal

Mike Laufer, CEO and co-founder of Kairos Power, said that Samsung C&T's investment and partnership reinforce what he described as the disciplined delivery model at the core of the company's commercialization strategy and that the relationship is intended to strengthen integrated capabilities needed to deliver advanced reactors with greater cost and schedule certainty.

Ed Blandford, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Kairos Power, said that deploying advanced nuclear energy at a commercial scale requires strong partners across the full project lifecycle and characterized the integrated team as bringing together complementary technology, engineering, manufacturing, and project-delivery capabilities.

Jeff Olson, Vice President of Commercial and Corporate Development at Kairos Power, described Samsung C&T's collaboration as a meaningful endorsement of the company's execution strategy from a world-class partner and said the deal represents a direct benefit to Kairos Power's current and future customer base.

Alex CW Lee, Head of Energy Solution Business Unit at Samsung C&T, said the company is pleased to collaborate with Kairos Power on what he called a differentiated approach to clean-energy deployment, with the goal of supporting successful project delivery and building a foundation for broader commercialization of the reactor technology.

Broader Industry Context

The Kairos-Samsung partnership arrives amid surging interest in small modular reactors from the data center industry, as operators seek reliable, low-carbon power sources to meet escalating electricity demand. Other data center companies and hyperscalers that have pursued nuclear energy arrangements include Data4, Oracle, Switch, and Equinix.

Separately, AI infrastructure company Crusoe recently partnered with Aalo Atomics on a project described as potentially the first nuclear-powered AI data center, to be located at the Idaho National Laboratory.