Kairos Power Establishes Advanced Nuclear Manufacturing and Prefabrication Center in Tennessee

Recently, Kairos Power announced in Oak Ridge, Tennessee the launch of an initiative called the "Advanced Manufacturing and Prefabrication Nuclear Center" (abbreviated as NuCAMP), aimed at advancing new manufacturing processes and construction technologies toward maturity in the nuclear power sector, while also cultivating a skilled industrial workforce in East Tennessee. The core goal of NuCAMP is to support the future large-scale deployment of advanced nuclear reactors.

According to a signed memorandum of understanding, Kairos Power will lead this initiative and collaborate with multiple institutions including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), Barnard Construction Company, Roane State Community College, Chattanooga State Community College, and Oak Ridge Schools. In addition, Kairos Power is also exploring cooperation opportunities with international partners Samsung C&T Engineering & Construction Group and Cambridge Vacuum Engineering to provide strategic consulting services in advanced manufacturing and construction for NuCAMP.

These collaborating institutions have unanimously agreed to enter a 12-month preliminary exploration phase to clarify how the parties will work together, on the one hand to develop and validate advanced manufacturing and construction technologies for nuclear industry applications, and on the other hand to build pathways to practical application fields for engineers and skilled technical workers. Kairos Power Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Ed Blandford stated that achieving large-scale, low-cost delivery of advanced reactors requires far more than excellent design alone; it also requires innovative manufacturing processes as support, code bases for qualification and certification, and personnel with the corresponding skills to carry out construction work.