Samsung C&T invests up to $100M in Kairos Power's reactor project for Google
South Korean engineering firm Samsung C&T is joining nuclear startup Kairos Power to help build a reactor intended to supply power for Google's data centers, in a deal worth up to $100 million.
Nuclear startup Kairos Power has selected South Korean engineering firm Samsung C&T as a partner for its 50-megawatt demonstration reactor being built for Google, with completion targeted for 2030.
Under the deal announced Monday, Samsung C&T will make an equity investment in Kairos Power and provide in-kind engineering services. Combined, the two components could be worth up to $100 million, with $70 million of that coming from the equity stake. Samsung C&T has previously built or helped build roughly a dozen nuclear reactors worldwide.
Kairos is among a wave of nuclear startups benefiting from surging electricity demand driven by AI data centers. Google first struck a deal with Kairos in fall 2024, under which the startup is to deliver nuclear reactors capable of producing about half a gigawatt of power by 2035.
Kairos is currently building two reactors in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The first, Hermes 1, is a low-power demonstrator meant to help refine the company's commercial design. The second, Hermes 2, will be its first commercial-scale reactor, and its output will count toward the first 50 megawatts of the Google agreement. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved construction of the reactors in November 2024, and Hermes 2 is expected to begin operating in 2030.
Hermes 2 will use a fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature design — a concept discussed for years but never built at commercial scale. Fluoride salts have high boiling points, helping keep pressure low and reducing the risk of high-pressure failures if components malfunction. The reactor will also use TRISO fuel, which encases uranium fuel particles in layers of ceramic and carbon to help prevent meltdowns.
To meet the terms of its agreement with Google, Kairos will need to build subsequent reactors even faster, an area where Samsung C&T's involvement could prove useful.
