Small modular reactors are "one of the most promising, exciting and necessary technological developments" in recent times and are now becoming a reality, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said at the agency's first international conference on SMRs.

Terrestrial Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding with UK-based oil and gas company Viaro Energy to collaborate on the deployment of Terrestrial's Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) plant technology for a broad range of potential industrial applications, including powering data centres for AI.

The US Department of Energy has opened applications for funding to support the initial domestic deployment of Generation III+ small modular reactor technologies. Up to USD800 million will go to two "first-mover" teams, with USD100 million to address so-called gaps that have hindered plant deployments.

Amazon has announced it has taken a stake in advanced nuclear reactor developer X-energy, with the goal of deploying up to 5 GW of its small modular reactors in the USA by 2039.

The US Department of Energy has approved the Conceptual Safety Design Report for Oklo Inc's Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility at Idaho National Laboratory. The facility will fabricate fuel for the Aurora "powerhouse" liquid metal-cooled fast reactor plant which is to be located at the same site.

Google has agreed to purchase energy from small modular reactors under a deal that will support the first commercial deployment of Kairos Power's reactor by 2030 and a fleet totalling 500 MW of capacity by 2035.

US microreactor developer Last Energy has announced plans for four microreactor power plants at the site of the decommissioned Llynfi coal-fired power station in Bridgend County, south Wales.

The European Commission has selected nine small modular reactor projects - including two lead-cooled fast reactors - in the initial round of applications to form Project Working Groups under the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs.

Vancouver-based shipbuilding firm Seaspan ULC has been selected by Westinghouse to supply components for its AP1000 and AP300 reactors, while Montreal-based Velan Inc will supply valves to GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy for its first BWRX-300 small modular reactor.

Small modular reactors offer a promising solution to the energy challenges in the data centre sector and power from advanced nuclear technologies could revolutionise the energy landscape - but educating decision makers is critical to advancing their deployment, according to a white paper from global industrial technology company Schneider Electric.

Finnish small modular reactor developer Steady Energy has signed an agreement with municipal energy company Keravan Energia to develop nuclear-powered district heating.

Blue Energy says its modular, reactor-agnostic power plant architecture can be centrally manufactured in existing shipyards, slashing both costs and build time, and has completed a USD45 million Series A fundraise.