Foreign Policy

South Korea Will Invest $100 Billion in U.S. Nuclear Sector To Boost AI and Appease Trump

Facing a 25 percent tariff threat, Seoul agreed to bankroll nuclear reactors and a Texas gas plant. The cost is already climbing past budget.

Tosin Akintola | 9.11.2026 3:07 PM

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If the U.S. wins the AI race against China, it might have South Korea to thank.

On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the South Korean government would soon announce an investment of over $100 billion for eight nuclear power plants and a natural-gas project in Texas. The nuclear power plants will likely be built on federal land and use the AP1000 design by U.S.-based company Westinghouse Electric. 

Both sides have discussed having "at least some of the reactors" be the APR1400, built by South Korean manufacturer Kepco, according to the Journal. It's the start of a string of strategic investments from Korea that could grow to include the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas pipeline—an 807-mile project to transport natural gas from Alaska's North Slope—according to the Seoul Economic Daily. The projects are part of the Trump administration's push to accelerate America's AI buildout, in this case, by developing the energy sources........

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