SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (3rd from R), poses for a photo with TerraPower Chairman Bill Gates (3rd from L), along with Chey Yoon-chung, head of business development at SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. (2nd from L), during their meeting in Seoul on Aug. 21, 2025, in this photo released by SK Group on Aug. 25. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 25(Korea Bizwire) — TerraPower LLC, a nuclear power startup founded by Bill Gates, has expressed hope for closer business ties with SK Group, the country’s No. 2 conglomerate said Monday.
TerraPower expressed such a hope in a meeting between Gates and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, held in Seoul last week, where the two tycoons shared ideas on a wide array of potential business cooperation ranging from small modular reactors (SMRs) to vaccines, according to the company.
“We have received great support from SK since they joined our visionary investor base in 2022 and began participating on our board,” TerraPower Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chris Levesque was quoted as saying by SK Group.
“There is strong alignment between our technology solutions and SK’s industry-leading businesses. We see many opportunities for collaborations with SK in Korea and in the global marketplace,” he added.
SK Inc., the holding company of SK Group, and SK Innovation Co. jointly invested US$250 million in 2022 to become the second-largest shareholder of TerraPower, which specializes in SMRs.
“SMRs are an innovative technology that can achieve both carbon reduction and energy security,” said Kim Moo-hwan, who leads SK Innovation’s energy solution business.
“Based on our strategic partnership with TerraPower, SK Innovation will play a leading role in building the domestic SMR ecosystem and entering the global market,” he added.
(Yonhap)
