Small modular reactors (SMRs) are emerging as a power alternative for semiconductor clusters as electricity demand rises with new fabs while the government reduces coal and LNG generation. Industry is reviewing building SMRs near chip plants because they can provide steady 24-hour output. Power supply is urgently needed for new clusters in Yongin and the southwest, but domestic SMR deployment is expected to lag fab completion. Licensing and planning timelines remain uncertain.

Amazon will fund development of a 960-megawatt small modular reactor power plant planned in Indiana and will be the first buyer of the electricity it produces, as it seeks stable power for AI data centres. The project will be built at a closed coal plant site south of Terre Haute, with American Electric Power operating the plant and X-energy supplying 12 Xe-100 reactors. Progress hinges on X-energy’s first commercial project in Texas.