Kairos Power

Look at that hardware! 🤩     Our second Engineering Test Unit (ETU 2.0) is taking shape at Kairos Power’s Albuquerque Manufacturing Development Campus, helping to optimize primary systems and pilot new innovations that will carry forward to Hermes and future reactors.    With ETU 2.0, we are learning to modularize our reactor technology and making strides in mechanical systems design, surrogate fuel pebble production, component manufacturing, operations, and more.     Here’s a look at our recent progress:     🏗️ The first modular equipment skids are installed in the ETU enclosure, with more under construction. ETU 2.0 will comprise more than 30 skids, which will come together in a fully integrated system, providing a template for the modular Hermes reactor design.     🔧 Building on lessons from ETU 1.0, we have upgraded the Primary Salt Pump, incorporating a permanent magnet motor and vibration sensors to improve performance. The Kairos Power team manufactured, assembled, and tested nearly all the parts in-house, demonstrating the value of vertical integration in expediting timelines, maintaining design flexibility, and ensuring quality control.    ⚫️ Over multiple iterations, our Fuels team has established an automated production line for annular graphite fuel pebbles, demonstrating the processes to mass-produce our proprietary fuel form. The team has fabricated 13,500 of the 50,000 surrogate fuel pebbles needed for ETU 2.0, marking a step change in productivity from the labor-intensive process used in ETU 1.0. Following the ETU 2.0 pebble campaign, we will replicate the production line at Los Alamos National Laboratory to make nuclear fuel for Hermes.    ⚙️ The Kairos Power manufacturing team fabricated the reactor vessel in-house – the largest yet for our ASME-certified vessel shop, and one of 11 U-stamped vessels that we’ve produced for ETU 2.0. Controlling the production of these critical components helps ensure tight specifications and quality control, while keeping to an aggressive timeline.    👨🔧 Our Operations team is building on the lessons learned from ETU 1.0 to develop a more sophisticated operator training program, writing 50+ new operating procedures, performing pre-commissioning testing on critical components, and establishing formal processes that will bolster operational readiness for ETU 2.0 and the Hermes series.    It’s all a testament to the hard work and cross-functional collaboration of our mission-driven team. Together, we’re building the future of nuclear energy, one module at a time.  

We are proud to share that our Albuquerque manufacturing operation has officially earned ISO 9001:2015 certification – with zero findings in our certification audit. This rare accomplishment reflects the strength of Kairos Power’s Quality Management System, the discipline of our processes, and our dedication to continuous improvement.  ISO 9001 is the world’s most recognized standard for quality management. It provides a framework that ensures consistent, high-quality practices across all areas of our manufacturing operations. Earning this certification demonstrates that Kairos Power has the formal, rigorous processes in place to consistently deliver high-quality components and reliably meet customer and regulatory requirements. As part of our Quality Management System, multiple Kairos Power employees were certified as Internal Auditors to conduct regular process audits within our manufacturing program. This cross-functional teamwork has set a strong foundation for systematic best practices, which we’ll iteratively replicate across Kairos Power facilities in other locations. Congratulations to everyone on the team whose unwavering commitment to quality made this achievement possible. 👏👏👏 #ISO9001 #QualityManagement #AdvancedNuclear #Manufacturing 

Kairos Power is proud to be named on MIT Technology Review’s 2025 list of Climate Tech Companies to Watch for the second year running! This annual list recognizes companies that are developing innovative new technologies or scaling existing ones to address climate change. At Kairos Power, we are driven by our mission to enable the world’s transition to clean energy, while dramatically improving people’s quality of life and protecting the environment. “As digital innovation and energy security become global priorities, nuclear energy is uniquely positioned to help meet growing electricity demands without contributing to climate change,” said Kairos Power CEO and co-founder Mike Laufer. “Kairos Power is honored to be recognized by MIT Technology Review as we work to deliver safe, reliable, and affordable advanced reactor technology and help accelerate the transition to a decarbonized energy future.” Read more about the winners at: https://lnkd.in/gQJYEAsP

Kairos Power is building foundations in more ways than one. 🏗 In September, we installed the final drilled pier for the Hermes demonstration reactor foundation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee! The Hermes campus is a proving ground to test advanced construction methods and incorporate ideas from other industries into nuclear systems, including drilled piers. 🛠️ The experience we gain from the Hermes project will help us increase construction efficiency and refine our delivery model to lower the cost of future reactors, providing a stable foundation on which to scale. Watch our progress in the video below:  

Today on The Green Blueprint: Lara Pierpoint sits down with Kairos Power CEO Mike Laufer who argues that tackling the non-nuclear parts of a reactor first — foundations, controls, power systems — combined with rapid iteration and vertical integration is the clearest route to lowering costs. Instead of decades-long timelines, Kairos has already run three engineering test units, built itself machine shops, and struck a landmark agreement with Tennessee Valley Authority and Google. 🎧 Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnkd.in/g82sJF9n

Congruent Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank just published their "50 by 2050", and it's an honor to see Kairos Power on the list, among a distinguished set of peers! I look forward to seeing many of you next week in New York. Thank you SVB and Congruent for recognizing the progress that the Kairos team is working hard to deliver. Congratulations and thank you to all at Kairos Power who were a part of earning this recognition!

ORNL innovations are transforming the future of nuclear energy. Working alongside companies like Kairos Power, ORNL is reimagining how components for advanced reactors are designed and deployed. 🔗 https://bit.ly/4fa2I16 #BigScience #AdvancedManufacturing #NuclearEnergy #Nuclear #AdvancedReactors