American-based advanced reactor designer X-energy has joined with digital infrastructure giant Amazon and two South Korean power generation equipment manufacturers to accelerate a $50 billion plan to develop next-generation nuclear power plants for future data center and artificial intelligence growth across the United States and, eventually, the world.
X-energy and Amazon will collaborate with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power as well as heavy machinery firm Doosan Enerbility on the plan to deploy 5 GW of X-energy’s Xe-100 reactors and TRISO-X fuel by 2039.
No small modular reactors (SMRs) have yet been built in the U.S., although numerous projects are deep into the permitting stage, including X-energy’s partnership with chemical firm Dow to build a Xe reactor to power Dow’s chemicals manufacturing plant in south Texas.
This new arrangement with Amazon, Korea Hydro & Nuclear (KHNP) and Doosan Enerbility hopes to generate up to $50 billion in private and public financial support around development of next-gen nuclear to power hyperscale and AI-enabled data centers. The Trump Administration’s Department of Energy has ramped up its support for SMR and advanced reactor nuclear with the same types of goals in mind.
Amazon’s move follows recent nuclear investment collaborations announced by Google, Microsoft and Meta.
“Data centers are the critical infrastructure needed to support AI leadership, and their power needs continue to accelerate to meet the growing needs of our customers,” said Vibhu Kaushik, Amazon Web Services Head of Worldwide Energy, in a statement. “By forming this partnership with KHNP and Doosan along with X-energy, we’re continuing to pursue innovative carbon-free solutions and technology to help meet the increasing energy demand, and we’re excited that this will help us enable over five gigawatts of new nuclear energy in the U.S.”
The involvement of Korea Hydro & Nuclear and Doosan seeks to utilize supply chain experience from the South Korea industrial sector.
“This partnership brings together proven nuclear leadership and experience from Korean industry and X-energy’s advanced reactor and fuel technology to meet a historic energy challenge,” said X-energy CEO J. Clay Sell in a statement. “By combining our expertise, we are ensuring that we are best positioned to accelerate the Xe-100 SMR into the marketplace with the unique knowledge and skills developed throughout the South Korea industrial supply chain. Collaboration between the United States and South Korea in this critical sector is vital to preserving American leadership in the AI race and surpassing China as the leader in nuclear development.”
X-energy and Amazon are seeking to build a supply chain for X-energy reactors worldwide. Doosan will engage in developing manufacturing capabilities for these advanced reactor modules.
“We are honored to seize this opportunity to accelerate the commercialization of Xe-100 technology, made possible through the support and interest of both governments,” Park Ji-won, chairman of Doosan Enerbility. "Doosan will faithfully fulfill its role, leveraging its proven manufacturing expertise, to ensure that this MOU becomes a model example of bilateral cooperation in the energy industry.”
Many of the world’s biggest digital infrastructure players are investing in future SMR and advanced reactor nuclear technology to provide baseload, resiliency power for hundreds of gigawatts in anticipated new data center and AI capacity. The manufacturing industry also is seeking possibility of smaller reactors to deliver carbon-free power for industrial operations, such as the planned Dow Seadrift project along the Texas Gulf Coast.
X-energy’s xe-100 100 small reactor design, which is under U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission construction review in the proposed Seadrift project, is designed around four 80-MW reactors to provide on-site power. The high-temperature gas-cooled reactors will be composed of graphite pebble beds using TRISO particle fuel.
