Tech nuclear technology approval

SMR Technology Gains Traction for AI Power

Analysis based on 7 articles · First reported Mar 02, 2026 · Last updated Mar 15, 2026

Sentiment

Attention

Articles

Market Impact

Direct

Live prominence charts, article sentiment distribution, and event development timeline available on the NewsDesk Dashboard

Market Impact

The growing demand for Artificial intelligence and data centers is creating a significant market opportunity for nuclear power, particularly Small modular reactor (SMR) technology. This could lead to substantial investments in companies like NuScale Power and Oklo, despite some project delays and regulatory hurdles.

Nuclear Energy Technology Utilities

Event Summary

The adoption of nuclear power has plateaued globally, but the rising power demand from the Artificial intelligence and data center industries is creating a new catalyst for its growth. Small modular reactor (SMR) technology, which offers smaller, modular, and scalable reactors, is experiencing a renaissance. NuScale Power received the first approval from the United States===Nuclear Regulatory Commission for an SMR power plant design in 2020 and another in 2025. Oklo is also in the process of obtaining approvals for its SMR designs. Analysts from Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America recognize the potential for SMR technology to meet the increasing energy needs, with projections of significant investments in the nuclear sector. While NuScale Power and Oklo show promise, their long-term viability and cost-effectiveness compared to conventional nuclear plants remain to be fully proven, and NuScale Power has experienced a major project delay.

Key Actions

95 NuScale Power received design approval for SMR power plant United States===Nuclear Regulatory Commission

85 Oklo is in process of SMR design approvals United States===Nuclear Regulatory Commission

70 NuScale Power experienced project delay

Entities Involved

stock

NuScale Power

NuScale Power received the first approval from the U.S. Nuclear Energy Commission for an SMR power plant design in 2020 and another in 2025. This positions the company as a leader in the emerging SMR market, though a major project delay until 2034 introduces uncertainty.

Importance 90 Sentiment 70

priv

Oklo

Oklo is another SMR stock currently in the process of approvals for its designs. The company highlights data centers as a key growth catalyst, indicating potential for future expansion in the energy sector.

Importance 80 Sentiment 60

govactor

United States===Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The United States===Nuclear Regulatory Commission is responsible for approving SMR power plant designs, playing a crucial role in the development and deployment of this technology in the United States.

Importance 70 Sentiment 0

priv

Deloitte

Deloitte, a global consultancy, published a report stressing the rising power demand from data centers to drive Artificial intelligence growth, concluding that nuclear energy appears to be an attractive option.

Importance 20 Sentiment 0

stock

Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley projects that nuclear capacity could more than double by 2050, with investments reaching $2.2 trillion in the next 25 years, highlighting the long-term potential of the nuclear energy sector.

Importance 20 Sentiment 0

stock

Bank of America

Bank of America views the nuclear energy opportunity as a $10 trillion market, although it anticipates that Small modular reactor (SMR) deployments will constitute a smaller portion of total growth by 2040.

Importance 20 Sentiment 0

Relationships

United States===Nuclear Regulatory Commission related ↔ NuScale Power

United States===Nuclear Regulatory Commission related ↔ Oklo

NuScale Power related ↔ Oklo

NEWSDESK

Track this event live

Set up alerts, explore entity relationships, search across thousands of events, and build custom intelligence feeds.

Open Dashboard