ARC Clean Technology and Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore collaboration on the deployment of the ARC-100, a sodium-cooled advanced small modular reactor, in the United States and other markets. The agreement, announced on October 29, 2026, brings together a leading U.S. advanced reactor developer and a global engineering, procurement, and construction firm at a time when demand for firm, dispatchable generation is rising sharply, driven in large part by the growth of AI data center load.
The MOU identifies two areas of 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. That support includes formation of the project consortium and participation of the Korean nuclear supply chain. The second area is support for completion of the ARC-100 design and for U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing under 10 CFR Part 53.
The collaboration matters because it pairs ARC's reactor technology with Hyundai Engineering's delivery capability, a combination that could accelerate the path from design to construction for a first-of-a-kind project. "Hyundai Engineering brings the kind of delivery capability a first-of-a-kind project requires," said James Wolf, Chief Executive Officer of ARC Clean Technology. He noted that 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. "What we are looking for at this stage are partners with a proven record in delivering complex energy infrastructure," Wolf said, adding that the agreement is a first step in understanding where HEC's capabilities and the Korean supply chain can fit alongside ARC's own.
Hyundai Engineering framed the partnership around market demand. "Electricity demand from AI data centers and industrial users is growing faster than existing supply can meet, and that is true across many of the markets in which we work," a spokesperson for the company said. "The ARC-100 is among the most advanced of the fourth-generation designs now approaching deployment, and its scale and output are well matched to those applications." The spokesperson added that the company looks forward to exploring where its engineering capability and the Korean supply chain can contribute.
The timing reflects a broader push to expand domestic nuclear capacity. INL 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. More information is available at www.arc-cleantech.com and www.hec.co.kr/en.
For the advanced nuclear sector, the agreement signals that developers are increasingly turning to established engineering and construction firms and international supply chains to move projects beyond design and licensing. If the collaboration advances, it could help establish a repeatable model for deploying small modular reactors at federal sites and in other markets where demand for carbon-free, dispatchable power is outpacing supply.
