This collaboration will deploy over five gigawatts of advanced nuclear energy in the U.S. by 2039, with a goal of mobilizing up to $50 billion in investment.
In a landmark move poised to reshape the energy landscape for technology, a new partnership has been formed between U.S. nuclear technology firm X-energy, global cloud leader Amazon, and South Korean heavyweights Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Doosan Enerbility. The collaboration is focused on accelerating the deployment of X-energy's Xe-100 fourth-generation advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) across the United States to meet the exponentially growing power demands of data centers and artificial intelligence (AI).
The agreement, announced in Washington, D.C., signifies a major step in combining global expertise in nuclear technology, project delivery, and cloud infrastructure. Amazon and X-energy, with support from their Korean partners, plan to deploy more than five gigawatts of new nuclear energy by 2039, with an eye toward future global expansion. This ambitious goal is expected to mobilize up to $50 billion in public and private investments, which will not only fund the reactor projects but also build out the necessary supply chain capacity.
The partnership addresses a critical challenge facing the tech industry: providing a reliable, carbon-free energy source to power the massive computational needs of AI. While traditional renewables like solar and wind are integral to clean energy goals, their intermittency makes them less suitable for the continuous, 24/7 power required by data centers. The Xe-100 SMRs, with their compact and modular design, are seen as a solution. Each reactor can produce 80 MWe of electricity and can be deployed in a "four-pack" configuration for a total output of 320 MWe, making them scalable and ideal for co-locating with data centers to minimize transmission losses.
This collaboration is a direct response to the energy bottleneck that many tech companies are beginning to face. As AI workloads increase, energy readiness is becoming as critical as computing power. The Xe-100 reactor, which uses a high-temperature gas-cooled design and proprietary TRISO-X fuel that is intrinsically safe and cannot melt down, offers a solution that is both reliable and secure.
The agreement leverages the distinct strengths of each partner. X-energy contributes its advanced reactor and fuel technology, while KHNP and Doosan Enerbility bring their extensive experience in reactor engineering, construction, and manufacturing. This synergy is expected to streamline the deployment process and overcome traditional challenges associated with building large-scale nuclear plants. The collaboration also aligns with a recent U.S.-Republic of Korea trade deal, reinforcing bilateral cooperation in key strategic sectors.
