Kairos Power Launches Tennessee Hub to Boost Next-Generation Nuclear Manufacturing
Oak Ridge, Tuesday, 18 August 2026.
Kairos Power introduced a Tennessee-based initiative to advance nuclear manufacturing and training, tackling key supply chain and workforce bottlenecks to help scale next-generation clean energy reactors.
NuCAMP Initiative and Strategic Partnerships
On Tuesday, 18 August 2026, Kairos Power announced the establishment of the Nuclear Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Precast (NuCAMP) in East Tennessee [1]. This initiative is designed to mature advanced manufacturing and modular construction techniques while building a specialized regional workforce [1]. The project involves a Memorandum of Understanding between Kairos Power, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation [1]. Additional partners include Barnard Construction, Roane State Community College, Chattanooga State Community College, and Oak Ridge Schools [1]. International collaborators Samsung C&T Engineering & Construction Group and Cambridge Vacuum Engineering are exploring strategic advisory roles for the initiative [1]. The involved organizations have initiated a 12-month exploration phase to develop qualification programs for advanced manufacturing and construction methods [1]. This phase is scheduled to continue through 18 August 2027 [1]. Ed Blandford, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Kairos Power, stated that delivering affordable advanced reactors at scale requires innovative manufacturing processes and people with the right skills [1]. Dr. Stephen Streiffer, Director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, noted that NuCAMP reflects the power of East Tennessee’s innovation ecosystem working together to solve real deployment challenges [1].
Kairos Power Progress and Hermes 2 Development
Kairos Power, founded in 2016, received the first U.S. construction permit for a non-water-cooled reactor in over 50 years in 2023 [1]. The company broke ground in April 2026 on the Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee [1]. This facility is contracted to supply 50 MW of clean electricity to the Tennessee Valley Authority grid for Google [1]. In August 2025, Google signed a corporate power purchase agreement with Kairos Power for the Hermes 2 project, utilizing Generation IV molten salt-cooled reactors [3]. The agreement aims to initially supply 50 MW to the Tennessee Valley Authority system by 2030, with a goal to scale to 500 MW [3]. NuCAMP will utilize the Kairos Power Reactor Demonstration Campus in Oak Ridge for manufacturing development, workforce training, and collaboration [1]. The initiative intends to develop new education programs, including two proposed master’s degree programs at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville [1]. Specialized training options are also planned at Chattanooga State and Roane State [1]. On 27 February 2026, Kairos Power completed full-scale shielded radiation performance testing at its Reactor Demonstration Campus in Oak Ridge [2]. This testing used an iridium-192 source to evaluate precast concrete shielding for potential commercial power plants [2].
Market Dynamics and Data Center Demand
AI-focused data centers now require 80 MW of power, significantly exceeding the 32 MW standard [3]. U.S. data center energy demand is projected to rise from 17 GW in 2022 to 35 GW by 2030 [3]. Small modular reactor technology offers a 95%+ capacity factor compared to 25–35% for wind and solar [3]. The SMR market was valued at $6.9 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $13.8 billion by 2032 [3]. This represents a projected growth rate of 100 percent over the period [3]. Major industry investments include Amazon securing 960 MW in Pennsylvania and Microsoft reviving an 837 MW deal at Three Mile Island [3]. AWS and Talen Energy signed a 17-year, 1.92 GW power purchase agreement in June 2025 for the Susquehanna nuclear plant in Pennsylvania [3]. That project was expected to be fully operational by spring 2026, though operational status should be verified as it is now August 2026 [alert! ‘operational status verification required for spring 2026 deadline’] [3]. NuScale received NRC design certification for its 77 MWe reactor in May 2025 [3]. Federal executive orders in May 2025 mandated an 18-month maximum review timeline for new reactor applications [3].
Workforce Development and Strategic Timeline
Persistent industry bottlenecks include a limited supply of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium fuel and a shortage of skilled nuclear engineering talent [3]. Global High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium demand is expected to reach 40 metric tons by 2030, with 22 GW of SMR projects currently in development worldwide [3]. The Tennessee Valley Authority has submitted a construction permit application for the GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 SMR at its Clinch River site, with deployment targeted for the late 2020s [3]. However, there is no update provided in current text regarding the current permit approval status [alert! ‘permit approval status unconfirmed’] [3]. SMR deployment phases include early demonstration units from 2027 to 2028, initial commercial data center integrations in the late 2020s, and broad commercial use by the mid-2030s [3]. The Department of Energy announced a $293 million Genesis Mission request for applications on 12 March 2026 to address national energy challenges [2]. Oak Ridge National Laboratory and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems signed a memorandum of understanding to develop scalable manufacturing techniques for extreme environment materials [2]. Dr. Matthew Mench, Dean of the Tickle College of Engineering, expressed excitement for the college to be part of such a comprehensive partnership during a time where transformational advances in reactor engineering are greatly needed [1].