SMR Modular / Factory-Built Patent Snapshot 2026
The SMR modular and factory-built patent field is highly concentrated, with NuScale Power LLC alone accounting for the largest share of the top filers’ combined activity. The field is in a Growth stage on a multi-year basis, though annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak and recent years remain understated by publication lag.
NuScale dominates an emerging, highly concentrated field
NuScale Power LLC is the clear leader in this space, holding the top position in the applicant ranking ahead of Westinghouse Electric Corp and General Electric Co. The visible assignee structure is narrow, with established nuclear OEMs and one specialist SMR developer accounting for the bulk of documented filings.
The top five filers collectively hold 95% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, indicating an exceptionally concentrated field with little meaningful activity outside a small cluster of players. There is a pronounced tier gap between NuScale and the remaining applicants.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NuScale Power LLC | 8 | |
| 2 | Westinghouse Electric Corp | 5 | |
| 3 | General Electric Co | 3 | |
| 4 | Xi’an Jiaotong University | 1 | |
| 5 | French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) | 1 | |
| 6 | Natura Resources LLC | 1 |
NuScale’s lead position reflects a deliberate, sustained patenting strategy in reactor design and nuclear power plant configurations, suggesting it has established early IP fences around core modular reactor architectures. The presence of Westinghouse and GE indicates that established nuclear primes are beginning to stake out positions, though their current patent records in this specific modular/factory-built segment trail NuScale substantially.
The most recent 18 to 24 months of filing data are subject to publication lag and likely understate current activity; the apparent quiet after 2023 should not be read as a slowdown. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A sharp 2023 activity spike and a reactor-centric technology mix
The filing trend reveals a field that was dormant until 2021 and then surged in 2023, while the IPC composition shows overwhelming concentration in nuclear reactor and nuclear power plant classes with several adjacent branches represented at low levels.
Annual filing trend
Filings were essentially absent from 2017 through 2020, with a single record appearing in 2021 and then a pronounced spike to nine records in 2023. The 2024 and 2025 data points reflect publication lag and do not represent a true decline; the field’s multi-year growth rate remains strongly positive at 800% recent versus prior window.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
G21C (Nuclear reactors) and G21D (Nuclear power plants) together are visible in the technology mix, confirming that current IP activity is concentrated in core reactor architecture rather than balance-of-plant or auxiliary systems. Notably, C25B (Electrolytic production of compounds) holds a meaningful share, reflecting NuScale’s interest in hydrogen co-production from SMR heat. Adjacent branches such as F01K, F01D, and F03D each appear at very low counts, signalling under-served areas.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Method for refurbishing a nuclear power plant init…
A method for retrofitting a nuclear power plant which include dismantling and removing all the components of the primary circuit apart from the LWR reactor vessel, which is essentially emptied of all material and neutralized, subsequently replacing a part of these components with subassemblies that are each made up of an integrated SMR reactor and a mixed… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Modular nuclear reactor for a land-based power pla… | 128 |
| 2 | SLIMM-Scalable Liquid Metal Cooled Small Modular R… | 24 |
| 3 | Slimm-scalable liquid metal cooled small modular r… | 12 |
| 4 | Small modular reactor safety systems | 9 |
| 5 | Modular nuclear reactor for a land-based power pla… | 9 |
| 6 | Small modular reactor safety systems | 3 |
| 7 | Modular nuclear reactor for a land-based power pla… | 3 |
| 8 | Wind-solar reactor system and working method thereof | 2 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
NuScale Power LLC
NuScale Power LLC leads the applicant ranking with 8 patent records and is classified as a new entrant on momentum — meaning all of its documented activity arrived within the recent filing window. Its technology focus spans nuclear reactor design (G21C 1), nuclear power plants (G21D 1), and electrolytic compound production (C25B 1), the last of which points to hydrogen co-generation as a differentiated use-case. This broad G21C/G21D/C25B spread suggests NuScale is building an integrated IP position covering both the reactor core and downstream energy products.
patent records: 8Westinghouse Electric Corp
Westinghouse Electric Corp holds 5 patent records and concentrates its technology emphasis across multiple G21C subclasses covering reactor cooling systems (G21C 15), reactor safety and shutdown (G21C 9), and general reactor design (G21C 1). No momentum trend data is available for Westinghouse in the current evidence, but its presence across three distinct G21C subclasses indicates a systems-level rather than single-component approach to modular reactor IP.
patent records: 5Frequently asked questions
The current evidence covers 11 patent families in scope for the SMR modular and factory-built topic.
NuScale Power LLC leads the applicant ranking with 8 patent records, well ahead of the next-ranked filers Westinghouse Electric Corp (5) and General Electric Co (3).
The field was essentially dormant from 2017 to 2020, with a single record in 2021 and a pronounced spike to 9 records in 2023. The lifecycle stage is Growth, with an 800% increase in the recent three-year window versus the prior three-year window. Annual volume has eased from the 2023 peak, but the most recent years are further understated by publication lag, so a true decline should not be inferred.
Europe via the EPO leads with 7 patent records, followed by the United States (6) and WIPO PCT (5). Canada (2) and the United Kingdom (1) also appear, consistent with markets where SMR regulatory processes are furthest advanced.
G21C (Nuclear reactors) and G21D (Nuclear power plants) together are visible in the IPC composition. C25B (Electrolytic production of compounds, linked to hydrogen co-generation) holds a notable share driven primarily by NuScale. Balance-of-plant branches such as F01K and F01D are present but sparse.
Several adjacent IPC branches are sparsely represented relative to the G21C/G21D core. F01K (Steam and thermal power plants) has only 2 patent records, representing a plausible entry point for balance-of-plant integration IP. F01D (Turbines), E21B (Drilling/wells), F22G (Steam superheating), and F03D (Wind motors) each appear with only 1 patent record, making them under-served branches worth monitoring.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
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