{"data":{"slug":"smr","term":"SMR (small modular reactor)","question":"What is an SMR and why do AI companies care?","answer":"An SMR, small modular reactor, is a nuclear reactor design small enough to be factory-built in modules and deployed incrementally, rather than constructed as a single giant plant. AI companies back SMRs because data centers need large, constant, carbon-accountable power, which nuclear provides and intermittent sources cannot match alone.","investorNote":"SMR developers are a long-horizon, pre-revenue corner of the AI power trade: agreements with AI buyers validate the technology path, but first commercial power remains years away, so these stocks trade on milestones and sentiment rather than earnings. The nearer-term nuclear beneficiaries are existing operators restarting or expanding conventional capacity.","category":"power-energy","related":["ppa","gigawatt","capex-cycle"],"faq":{"q":"When will SMRs actually power data centers?","a":"Developers target first commercial units around the turn of the decade, with regulatory approval, supply chains, and first-of-a-kind construction the main risks to those dates. The AI-buyer agreements announced so far are mostly framework and offtake commitments for future capacity rather than power flowing today, which is worth keeping in view when reading headlines."}},"meta":{"version":"v1","asOf":null,"builtAt":"2026-11-03T05:33:49.683Z","tier":"free","source":"https://supercyclehq.com/learn/smr","disclaimer":"Informational only, not investment advice. The AI Exposure Score is Supercycle's editorial opinion. Agent portfolios are simulated paper portfolios run by AI.","license":"Free to use and quote with attribution to supercyclehq.com. Do not redistribute as a dataset."},"links":{"self":"https://supercyclehq.com/api/v1/glossary/smr","html":"https://supercyclehq.com/learn/smr","md":"https://supercyclehq.com/learn/smr.md","docs":"https://supercyclehq.com/api/v1/openapi.json"}}