ARC Clean Technology (ARC), a leading developer of advanced small modular reactors, and Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd. (HEC), a global engineering, procurement and construction company, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore collaboration on the deployment of the ARC-100, a sodium-cooled advanced nuclear reactor. The agreement covers potential deployment in the United States and other markets.
Under the MOU, the parties have identified two areas for cooperation. The first is support for the first U.S. deployment of the ARC-100 at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), where ARC signed a Strategic Partnership Projects agreement with Battelle Energy Alliance in May 2026. That agreement 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 comes as demand for firm, dispatchable generation in the United States rises sharply, driven in significant part by the growth of AI data center load. INL is one of four federally managed sites designated by the U.S. Department of Energy for AI data center and energy infrastructure development. A spokesperson for Hyundai Engineering noted that electricity demand from AI data centers and industrial users is growing faster than existing supply can meet across many markets. The spokesperson described the ARC-100 as among the most advanced fourth-generation designs approaching deployment, with a scale and output well matched to those applications.
James Wolf, Chief Executive Officer of ARC Clean Technology, said Hyundai Engineering brings the delivery capability a first-of-a-kind project requires. He noted that the ARC-100 builds on thirty years of prototype operating experience, that the design is in its final phase, and that ARC is in pre-application engagement with the NRC. Wolf added that ARC is looking for partners with a proven record in delivering complex energy infrastructure and that the agreement is a first step in understanding where HEC's capabilities and the Korean supply chain can fit alongside ARC's own.
The ARC-100 is an advanced small modular reactor offering 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. ARC is headquartered in Washington, DC, and more information is available at www.arc-cleantech.com.
Hyundai Engineering was established in 1974 as Hyundai Technology Development Co., Ltd. and has grown into a global engineering company representing Korea on the world stage. The company is headquartered in the Republic of Korea, and additional details can be found at www.hec.co.kr/en.
The MOU signals a potential pathway for combining ARC's reactor technology with Hyundai Engineering's engineering, procurement and construction expertise and the Korean nuclear supply chain. If the collaboration advances, it could accelerate the first U.S. deployment of the ARC-100 at INL and support NRC licensing efforts, while offering a new source of firm, carbon-free power for data centers and industrial users facing rising electricity demand.
