Small Modular Reactor
A nuclear reactor design concept in which individual units typically produce less than 300 megawatts of electrical output. These reactors can be factory-fabricated and transported to installation sites, offering advantages including shorter construction timelines, lower costs, and enhanced safety characteristics compared to conventional large-scale reactors.
Core Facts
Timeline (last 90 days)
For data centers, SMRs can be deployed nearby and supply power directly, reducing long-distance transmission losses and grid connection queue times.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)'s licensing review framework for SMRs is still being refined, and first-of-a-kind applications often take several years.
Most SMRs worldwide are currently still in the design or first-of-a-kind construction stage, and whether unit costs can fall with mass production is the focus of industry debate.
A single SMR typically has a power output in the tens-of-megawatts range, and 12 of them together come to nearly 1 gigawatt, equivalent to the output of one large conventional nuclear unit.
Amazon reached a new agreement with nuclear technology company X-energy to build 12 small modular reactors (SMRs) at the site of a retired coal plant in Indiana, with a total installed capacity of nearly 1 gigawatt.
Currently multiple SMR projects worldwide are in the design certification or demonstration construction stage, and commercially operating cases remain limited.
Currently dozens of SMR designs worldwide are at different stages of development, and some have entered the regulatory approval process, but there is still a distance to large-scale commercial deployment, with the main bottlenecks being adaptation of the regulatory framework, validation of economics, and maturity of the supply chain.
Off-grid self-generation options for AI data centers include gas turbines, small modular reactors (SMRs), geothermal power, and restarting decommissioned nuclear power plants.
The combined narrative of AI and clean energy has spawned a batch of dedicated funds focused on nuclear power restarts, small modular reactors (SMRs), and associated energy storage projects.
The cost advantage of SMRs at commercial scale has yet to be fully validated, and some SMR projects that have been greenlit have run into difficulties due to costs exceeding expectations.
7 more timeline events
All Facts (20)
NuScale's SMR design received design certification from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 2022, becoming the first approved SMR design in the United States, with the approval process taking nearly 6 years.
65%UnverifiedSmall and medium modular reactors (SMRs) generally refer to nuclear power units with a single-unit capacity below 300 MW.
60%UnverifiedThe single-unit installed capacity of SMRs is typically below 300 megawatts, and they can be factory-prefabricated and then transported for installation.
60%Unverified小型模块化反应堆（SMR）是指电功率在300兆瓦以下的新一代核反应堆
60%UnverifiedFor data centers, SMRs can be deployed nearby and supply power directly, reducing long-distance transmission losses and grid connection queue times.
50%UnverifiedMost SMRs worldwide are currently still in the design or first-of-a-kind construction stage, and whether unit costs can fall with mass production is the focus of industry debate.
50%UnverifiedThe U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)'s licensing review framework for SMRs is still being refined, and first-of-a-kind applications often take several years.
50%UnverifiedA single SMR typically has a power output in the tens-of-megawatts range, and 12 of them together come to nearly 1 gigawatt, equivalent to the output of one large conventional nuclear unit.
50%UnverifiedCurrently multiple SMR projects worldwide are in the design certification or demonstration construction stage, and commercially operating cases remain limited.
50%UnverifiedCurrently dozens of SMR designs worldwide are at different stages of development, and some have entered the regulatory approval process, but there is still a distance to large-scale commercial deployment, with the main bottlenecks being adaptation of the regulatory framework, validation of economics, and maturity of the supply chain.
50%UnverifiedOff-grid self-generation options for AI data centers include gas turbines, small modular reactors (SMRs), geothermal power, and restarting decommissioned nuclear power plants.
50%UnverifiedMultiple countries around the world are currently in the approval and pilot stages for SMRs, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Poland.
50%UnverifiedThe cost advantage of SMRs at commercial scale has yet to be fully validated, and some SMR projects that have been greenlit have run into difficulties due to costs exceeding expectations.
50%UnverifiedThe variables that will determine whether data center natural gas consumption forecasts come true include the deployment speed of renewable energy and energy storage, the commercialization progress of new power sources such as SMRs, and the extent of improvements in AI model energy efficiency.
50%UnverifiedFloating reactors generally refer to small modular nuclear energy solutions deployed offshore or on water surfaces.
50%UnverifiedCompanies such as Microsoft and Amazon have taken actions in the nuclear power sector, including investing in small modular reactors (SMRs) and restarting decommissioned nuclear power plants.
50%UnverifiedSmall modular reactors can be prefabricated in factories and transported to sites to shorten construction timelines.
50%UnverifiedAmazon reached a new agreement with nuclear technology company X-energy to build 12 small modular reactors (SMRs) at the site of a retired coal plant in Indiana, with a total installed capacity of nearly 1 gigawatt.
50%UnverifiedSMR首批商用项目预计要到2030年前后才能投入运营
70%UnverifiedThe combined narrative of AI and clean energy has spawned a batch of dedicated funds focused on nuclear power restarts, small modular reactors (SMRs), and associated energy storage projects.
50%