South Korea-based Samsung C&T Engineering & Construction Group (Samsung C&T) made a strategic investment of up to $100 million in Kairos Power, the companies said in a Monday press release.
According to the release, the $100 million will be made up of a “direct investment and in-kind engineering services,” which will be subject to regulatory approvals, for Kairos’ Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
The two companies also agreed to work together to commercialize Kairos’ fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor technology (KP-FHR). Samsung C&T will join Kairos’ integrated engineering, procurement and construction team for the Hermes 2 and other Kairos reactor deployments.
This investment builds on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on Aug. 18 by the two companies and Barnard Construction, the construction partner for Kairos Hermes 1 and 2 projects. The MOU established a preliminary framework for project planning, including workforce development.
“Deploying advanced nuclear energy at commercial scale requires strong, capable partners across the full project lifecycle,” Ed Blandford, Kairos chief technology officer and co-founder, said in the release. “Our integrated EPC team brings together the complementary technology, engineering, manufacturing, and project-delivery capabilities needed to advance Hermes 2 and establish a foundation for broad deployment of KP-FHR technology.”
The Alameda, Calif.-based small modular reactor developer received a construction permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the Hermes 2 plant in 2024. It later broke ground at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant at the K-33 site in April this year. For the Hermes 2, Kairos plans to have a 50-megawatt reactor at the site.
The Hermes 2 will be the company’s first commercial plant and will provide power to Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) grid and Google data centers in Alabama and Tennessee as a part of a deal the three entities signed in August 2025.
Kairos is also still developing its Hermes 1 demonstration plant, which is a low-power test reactor, at the same location in Oak Ridge.
