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ADVANCED REACTORS UK-BASED STARTUP CAMBRIDGE Atomworks and Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE) have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on accelerating the production of the ODIN nuclear micro-reactor. The collaboration focuses on leveraging CVE’s advanced electron beam welding expertise to manufacture critical reactor components such as vessels and internals. ODIN is a low-pressure reactor using solid nuclear fuel and a molten salt coolant.
SWEDISH NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY startup Blykalla has partnered with Microsoft to address the complex permitting and licensing process. Blykalla is deploying Microsoft’s GenAI for Energy Permitting Solution Accelerator alongside agentic AI workflows. The digital system evaluates reactor data against strict regulatory criteria and drafts compliant filings. The AI-driven workflows will accelerate licensing for Blykalla’s SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor), a compact, lead-cooled advanced modular reactor.
US-BASED TERRESTRIAL ENERGY has submitted its Graphite Topical Report to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission outlining the methodology used to qualify nuclear- grade graphite for commercial plant operations for its integral molten salt reactor (IMSR) design. Graphite serves as the core’s moderator, and its long-term performance directly dictates the overall service life of the IMSR Core-unit. The IMSR design is for a 442MWt per Core-unit (IMSR400) small modular molten salt-fuelled, graphite moderated, thermal spectrum reactor.
US-BASED KAIROS POWER has completed Phase I of its Engineering Test Unit 3 (ETU 3) hardware demonstration. This advances iterative testing of its fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) technology in a non-hazardous environment. In this first phase of the ETU 3 project, a cross-functional team spanning construction, manufacturing, and engineering departments worked with key partners to build a reduced-scale mock-up of the Hermes 2 reactor cavity.
TÜRKIYE’S ENERGY, Nuclear & Mineral Research Agency, affiliated with the Ministry of Energy & Natural Resources, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Denmark-based Copenhagen Atomics to cooperate on using thorium in next- generation nuclear systems. The cooperation will focus on developing technologies that can use thorium. The agreement aims to leverage Türkiye’s thorium reserves to eliminate foreign fuel dependency and establish the country as an international supplier.
12 | October 2026 |
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United States UK and US link fusion computers The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the US Department of Energy’s (DoE’s) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have signed a joint declaration of intent to form the Sunrise–Stellar- AI Federation. This partnership aims to directly address the immense computational and data- sharing bottlenecks involved in commercialising nuclear fusion energy. The Sunrise–Stellar- AI Federation builds on a memorandum of understanding signed between UKAEA and PPPL in June, which set out a framework for joint work. The initiative bridges two newly developed, multi-million-dollar platforms dedicated to fusion and plasma physics. Sunrise (UK) is a £45m ($60m) mission-focused AI supercomputer located at the Culham Campus in Oxfordshire. Stellar-AI (US) is a $13m high-performance computing and AI platform operated by PPPL with support from Princeton University. By linking these platforms, researchers aim to seamlessly transfer models and experiments between systems. The federation allows scientists to train a single foundational AI model on experimental data pooled from two world-leading spherical tokamaks, namely the UK’s MAST Upgrade and the US’s NSTX-U. The supercomputers will be used to build
precise, virtual copies (digital twins) of operational fusion reactors to simulate how plasma behaves and test reactor modifications. By combining supercomputing power and expertise, the federation aims to shorten the design cycle for future fusion power plants, make better use of existing experiments, and give the next generation of UK and US fusion scientists a shared platform. The federation wants to also develop the
next generation of fusion and AI experts through training, workshops, research opportunities and other international collaborations.
Finland
EIB funding for Steady Energy The European Investment Bank (EIB) is investing up to €40m ($46m) in Finnish nuclear technology startup Steady Energy. This is the first time that the EIB has invested directly in small modular reactor (SMR) technology. Historically, the bank has avoided new nuclear projects due to political differences among EU member states. Secured by the EU’s InvestEU programme, the EIB investment is structured as a senior unsecured convertible loan, which gives the EIB the opportunity to later convert the loan into listed shares. The EIB funds are expected to be allocated between 2026 and 2028 to advance research, testing and licensing. The goal of the European Commission is to put the first SMRs into operation in Europe by the early 2030s. Simultaneously Steady Energy announced a planned merger with Finnish company 3North Partners to list the combined company on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland. “The support to Steady Energy is a flagship
example of how the EIB Group is backing innovation to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness,
enhancing energy autonomy and expanding access to affordable clean energy,” said EIB Group vice- president Karl Nehammer. Steady Energy’s planned 50MWt reactor
(LDR-50) does not generate electricity, but only heat that will be fed directly into existing district heating networks to replace fossil fuels. To ensure maximum safety, the system is designed to be built underground. Steady Energy was spun out from the VTT
Technical Research Centre of Finland in 2023. The LDR-50 has been under development at VTT since 2020. Steady Energy is also building a non-nuclear pilot facility in Helsinki to test key safety systems and support the licensing process with the national regulator.
United States Deep Fission in canister demo California-based startup Deep Fission has demonstrated installation and retrieval of a full-size prototype reactor canister from a borehole using standard commercial drilling equipment. The company, which plans to place small modular pressurised water reactors (PWRs) in boreholes one mile (1.6km) underground, took delivery of the prototype reactor canister at the Great Plains Industrial Park in Parsons, Kansas, in July. A standard commercial crew lowered a 20ft
(6m), full-size, non-nuclear replica canister 100ft (30m)-deep into a 34in (0.8m)-wide borehole and successfully retrieved it to the surface. No equipment had to be invented, custom-built, or specifically modified. The business model relies entirely on combining the existing commercial drilling supply chain with proven PWR physics. By placing the technology deep underground, the design bypasses the need for containment. Power output is 15MWe per individual borehole
reactor and up to 135MWe per site. Each reactor uses four standard fuel assemblies. The vertical water column into which it is inserted generates 160 atmospheres of hydrostatic pressure naturally. This matches the internal core pressure, virtually eliminating traditional loss-of-coolant accidents. A closed-loop system sends thermal energy
up to a surface heat exchanger using geothermal principles to spin a traditional turbine generator. The target construction timeline is six months per reactor. Deep Fission uses a phased commercial pilot project format intentionally designed to transition directly into grid operation. Construction began on the primary test facility
at the Great Plains Industrial Park in Parsons, Kansas in December 2025. The US Department of Energy (DoE) approved the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) under the DoE Reactor Pilot Program. This formalised the safety framework needed to fast-track commercial demonstration. The team is currently drilling a 6,000ft (2km) data
acquisition well to harvest critical local geological, hydrological and thermal profiles. Following initial testing, the pilot plant is hoping to obtain a full licence from the NRC. This will allow it to pivot directly into delivering baseload power to utilities, industrial manufacturers, and data centres.
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