Artificial intelligence sent electricity demand rising in the United States after almost years of zero growth. This has sent large technology companies to secure the ability of their data centers.
For many, this means the shift to nuclear fission. The energy source has suffered from recovery in the past few years after decades of closing plants. (Fission, used in all current nuclear plants, differs from fusion, which is the approach that is still experts in obtaining energy from the atoms that, while attracting investors, has not yet produced than consumed.)
For technology companies, part of the fission’s attractiveness is a stable and predictable source of power flowing around the clock throughout the week, giving their data centers the ability to operate computing loads whenever they need them.
But another part of the appeal lies in the designs of a new reactor promising to overcome the shortcomings of the current nuclear power plants. When old power plants have been built around huge reactions that can generate more than 1 GB of electricity, the designs of new small units reactor (SMR) see multiple units spread alongside to meet a set of needs.
SMRS relies on comprehensive manufacturing to reduce costs, but so far, no one has built one in the United States, and has not kept Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft Away from the table. They have signed either energy purchase agreements from nuclear startups or investing them directly – or both.
Here are the startups of Big Tech -backed nuclear fission.
Carros power
Carros power Google’s confidence voting was received when the search giant promised to buy about 500 megawatts of electricity by 2035, with the first reactor aimed at accessing the Internet by 2030.
Small normative reactors of the company depend on molten fluoride salt for cooling and heat transfer to steam turbines. The high boiling point of the salt means that the coolant does not need to keep high pressure, which must improve the safety of operation. The reactors contain the fuel stones coated in carbon and ceramic shells, which must be strong enough to endure the collapse.
Alaameda headquarters has received a file 629 million dollars Award from the United States government, including $ 303 million from the Ministry of Energy. In November 2024, Kairos obtained approval from the American Nuclear Regulatory Committee to start construction on two reactions in Tennessee. At 35 megawatts, the test units will be smaller than the kairos reactors, which are expected to generate 75 megawatts each.
Ok, hey
Ok, hey It is another SMR company that targets World Center Center – there is no surprise given that it was supported by the CEO of Openai Sam Altman, who also operated the nuclear audience through a counter -combination with a special purpose acquisition vehicle, Altc, in July 2023. Openai in negotiating with OKLO for the power supply agreement. DCVC, Draper Associats, and Peter Thiel’s Mithril Capital Management are among the former investors in startup.
The OKLO reactor, which is cooled by Metal Liquid, cools on the current US Energy Department design aimed at reducing the amount of nuclear waste that results from normal operations. However, the OKLO path was not a smooth path. Company The first license request It was rejected in January 2022. Oklo said it would re -submit the application at one time in 2025. But this did not prevent the company from obtaining a deal to supply the data center key with 12 GB by 2044.
Salvos
Like kairos, SalvosPreviously known as seaborg, also wants to build SMRS cooled with molten salt. But unlike Kairos and others, it imagines putting two to eight of them on a ship to create what is called the power base. An young company raised approximately $ 60 million, including a seed tour of $ 6 million, including Bill Gates, Peter Thil, and the founder of co -founder David Helgason, according to Pitchbook. SATLFOSS has an agreement with Samsung Heavy Industries for the building of ships and reactors designed.
Terrapower
Founded by Bill Gates, Terrapower It builds a larger reactor, called natrium, which is cooled by liquid sodium and is characterized by storing molten salt energy.
The company stopped the first power plant in June 2024 in Wyoming. The design of the natrium calls for the reactor to generate 345 megawatts of electricity. This is smaller than other new nuclear factories today but larger than most SMR designs.
But Natrium has a trick of his sleeve with the molten salt heat storage system. Since nuclear reactors work better in a stable condition, the Natrium reactor can continue to break the atoms when the demand is low, and the additional energy is stored as a heat in the sound tax of molten salt, which can later be drawn to generate electricity.
Among the investors are the Gates’ Cascade Investment Fund, KHOSLA VENTERES, CRV and Arceelormttal.
X-Energy
X-Energy A large series of $ 700 million fell last year, led by the Amazon Climate Fund. Meanwhile, SMR Startup has announced two development agreements that will witness the deployment of 300 megawatts of the new nuclear generation capacity in the northwest of the Pacific Ocean and Virginia.
The company’s high temperature reactions, which are cooled in the gas, modern trends in the United States and Europe, where the design was avoided in favor of other methods. The XE-100 reactor of the company is expected to generate 80 megawatts of electricity. Helium gases flow through the fuel, which has a size of billiards, which has a size of 200,000 “stones”, and absorbs heat to rotate steam turbines.
