Their meeting comes about seven months after they last met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in January.
The Microsoft founder is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Han Seong-sook and National Assembly speaker Cho Jeong-sik, as well as executives from SK and HD Hyundai, during his visit to Seoul.
SK and HD Hyundai are major shareholders in TerraPower, which Gates founded in 2008 to develop next-generation nuclear technologies.
HD Hyundai has been strengthening its partnership with TerraPower in the SMR sector, with the conglomerate's shipbuilding holding company, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, investing US$30 million in the U.S. nuclear company.
HD Hyundai has since been involved in the development of TerraPower's 345-megawatt Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor in Wyoming.
In March last year, Chung and Gates also signed a memorandum of understanding to expand the manufacturing and supply chain for the commercialization of the Natrium reactor. Following further meetings and discussions, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, an affiliate of HD Hyundai, signed a deal with TerraPower to supply equipment for the reactor and was selected as a preferred manufacturer of its key components.
HD Hyundai is also developing technologies to use SMRs as marine power sources, combining its shipbuilding expertise with next-generation nuclear technology.
AJP Takeaways:
- Bill Gates, founder and chairman of TerraPower, is scheduled to meet HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun in Seoul on Aug. 13, 2026, to discuss expanding cooperation in small modular reactors or SMRs.
- Bill Gates is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik, and executives from SK and HD Hyundai during his visit to Korea.
- HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, HD Hyundai's shipbuilding holding company, invested US$30 million in TerraPower, strengthening the two companies' partnership in advanced nuclear energy.
- HD Hyundai is participating in TerraPower's 345-megawatt Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor project in Wyoming, while HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has been selected as a preferred manufacturer of key reactor components.
- HD Hyundai and TerraPower are expanding cooperation beyond the Natrium reactor, with HD Hyundai also developing technologies to use SMRs as marine power sources by combining its shipbuilding expertise with next-generation nuclear technology.
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