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 on October 29, 2026, identifies two areas for cooperation: support for the first U.S. deployment of the ARC-100 at Idaho National Laboratory, and support for completion of the ARC-100 design and for U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing under 10 CFR Part 53.
The MOU matters because it pairs a reactor developer in its final design phase with a construction partner that has delivered complex energy infrastructure worldwide, a combination industry observers say first-of-a-kind nuclear projects typically require. The Idaho scope builds on a Strategic Partnership Projects agreement ARC signed with Battelle Energy Alliance in May 2026, and it includes formation of the project consortium and participation of the Korean nuclear supply chain. Additional information about ARC is available at www.arc-cleantech.com.
Both companies framed the agreement around a specific and fast-growing source of demand. 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, adding that its scale and output are well matched to those applications. Details on Hyundai Engineering can be found at www.hec.co.kr/en.
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 said the company is looking for 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 arrives 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, according to the company. 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. Hyundai Engineering was established in 1974 as Hyundai Technology Development Co., Ltd. and is headquartered in the Republic of Korea.
For readers and industries tied to data center buildout and industrial power, the MOU signals that a fourth-generation reactor design is moving through consortium formation and licensing preparation rather than remaining at the concept stage, though the agreement itself is an exploratory step and does not yet commit either party to construction.
