ARC Clean Technology, a developer of advanced small modular reactors, and Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd., a global engineering, procurement and construction company, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to explore collaboration on the deployment of the ARC-100, a sodium-cooled advanced nuclear reactor, in the United States and other markets. The agreement, disclosed in a press release, matters because it pairs a fourth-generation reactor design approaching deployment with the delivery capability of a major engineering contractor at a moment when U.S. electricity demand is climbing sharply.
Under the MOU, the parties identified two areas for cooperation. The first is support for the first U.S. deployment of the ARC-100 at Idaho National Laboratory, where ARC signed a Strategic Partnership Projects agreement with Battelle Energy Alliance in May 2026, including formation of the project consortium and participation of the Korean nuclear supply chain. The second is support for completion of the ARC-100 design and for U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing under 10 CFR Part 53.
The timing reflects a broader shift in the power market. A spokesperson for Hyundai Engineering said electricity demand from AI data centers and industrial users is growing faster than existing supply can meet across many of the markets in which the company works. The spokesperson described the ARC-100 as among the most advanced of the fourth-generation designs now approaching deployment, with a scale and output well matched to those applications, and said the company looks forward to exploring where its engineering capability and the Korean supply chain can contribute.
James Wolf, Chief Executive Officer of ARC Clean Technology, said Hyundai Engineering brings the kind of delivery capability a first-of-a-kind project requires. He said the ARC-100 builds on thirty years of prototype operating experience, that the design is now in its final phase, and that ARC is in pre-application engagement with the NRC. Wolf added that what ARC is looking for at this stage are partners with a proven record in delivering complex energy infrastructure, and described the agreement as a first step in understanding where HEC's capabilities and the Korean supply chain can fit alongside ARC's own.
The announcement lands as demand for firm, dispatchable generation in the United States rises sharply, driven in significant part by the growth of AI data center load. Idaho National Laboratory is one of four federally managed sites designated by the U.S. Department of Energy for AI data center and energy infrastructure development. The ARC-100's modular design provides 100 megawatts of energy for electricity, industrial applications and the rapidly growing demand for AI data centers. ARC is a U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program awardee advancing first U.S. deployment at Idaho National Laboratory, with international deployment programs in Canada and Türkiye, and is headquartered in Washington, DC. Further details are available at www.arc-cleantech.com, while Hyundai Engineering, established in 1974 and headquartered in the Republic of Korea, provides information at www.hec.co.kr/en.
For readers and industries tied to energy-intensive operations, the MOU signals that the small modular reactor sector is moving from design toward delivery partnerships. If the collaboration advances, it could strengthen the supply chain for advanced nuclear projects in the U.S. and offer a potential source of firm, carbon-free power for data centers and industrial users facing tightening electricity supply.
