Valar Atomics activates nuclear microreactor live to power Nvidia chip, partners on AI factory

Startup activates nuclear microreactor live on stage to power an Nvidia RTX Spark desktop PC -- firm working with Nvidia to build a 30MW closed loop AI factory that doesn't use local water

Valar Atomics activated its Ward 250 nuclear microreactor on stage during a live event, where it announced its partnership with Nvidia to power an AI factory. The company shared a portion of the live stream on its LinkedIn account, where one of its team members plugged an Nvidia RTX desktop unit into the reactor, which was then turned up to 37% of its full power to activate the Blackwell-powered PC. The company then showed off the nuclearwebsite.com page, which it says is solely run from a server that's powered by that reactor. Its CEO, Isiah Taylor, claims that anyone can go to the website as long as the reactor is running. "The Nvidia chip that Gabriel was just holding on stage is now plugged into a circuit in the OCS. That circuit runs through a cable into the reactor hall. In the reactor hall, 10 to 15th power uranium atoms are fissioning every second, producing 100 kilowatts of thermal energy," Taylor said on the stage. "That thermal energy is being extracted by our cooling loop, the pressurized helium system, and the hot helium is flowing into a thermal electric generator (TEG). That TEG is creating the electrical current, which is right now powering Nvidia's Blackwell chip, which is currently serving this website." Although the company claims that it's the first startup to achieve power production, the Department of Energy says that two other firms, Deployable Energy's Unity and Antares Nuclear's Mark-0, have also achieved criticality, meaning these players are also on their way in making electricity using small modular reactors. Many AI tech giants and hyperscalers, like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Oracle, have invested in nuclear technologies as early as 2024, as they projected that AI data centers would require massive amounts of power. This has become a major national issue recently, with data centers being blamed for massive increases in power and utility costs, as well as increased water consumption and a reduction in the quality of life in the communities that surround these developments. These problems have caused Americans to push back against these projects, with 7 out of 10 saying that they do not want a data center in their backyard. This resistance has led to the delay or cancellation of at least 75 projects in just the first quarter of 2026. The public's pushback and the resulting actions of local and state governments against power- and water-hungry data center projects are forcing both the private and public sectors to innovate. Aside from these SMRs, which will deliver the electricity demands of these data centers and other sites without affecting the national and local grid, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia are also working on technologies that will cut down data center water use by up to 100%. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.

Valar nuclear startup partners with Nvidia on data center aiming to conserve water

July 1 (Reuters) - Valar Atomics, a nuclear power startup, said on Wednesday it is partnering with Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab to develop a small data center in Utah that the companies claim will show how computing facilities needed for AI can conserve water. California-based Valar announced the partnership in Utah at the site of its small nuclear plant called a microreactor. It also ran a demonstration powering Nvidia's Blackwell, its latest AI chip architecture for data centers. It was the first time a small reactor powered a data center, the companies said. Valar is one of about 10 nuclear energy startups ⁠in a Department of Energy reactor pilot program that set a goal to demonstrate three small reactors reaching criticality -- when a nuclear reaction can sustain itself -- by July 4. Nvidia announced last week that it would use closed-loop liquid cooling for DSX, its latest data center design, a method it says can reduce facility-cooling water consumption from roughly 2.6 million gallons per megawatt per year to near zero. DATA CENTER OPPOSITION GROWS Concerns over U.S. data centers' demand for power and water have led to a backlash. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month showed that only one in three Americans approve of the fast pace of data center construction, an issue on the minds of voters ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. The industry's power need has led companies to seek to source ⁠their own power with private or "behind-the-meter" plants to enable them to bypass permitting, public stakeholder engagement and grid interconnection. These projects have primarily been natural gas, but some companies are eying nascent small nuclear reactors to power AI infrastructure. WHITE HOUSE PUSHES REACTORS President Donald Trump's administration sees small nuclear reactors as one of several ways to expand power generation. Trump last May issued executive orders aimed at quadrupling nuclear deployment. "Through this ⁠work with Valar Atomics, Nvidia is exploring how behind-the-meter, waterless advanced nuclear systems could support future AI factories built for the scale and reliability accelerated computing requires," said John Josephakis, an Nvidia global vice president. Valar founder Isaiah Taylor said the startup is attempting to demonstrate that nuclear ⁠projects, which often face long regulatory hurdles, can be done quickly. Valar says its high-temperature reactor is cooled with helium instead of water. Valar joined litigation against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission last year by the states of Texas and Utah arguing that it ⁠does not have licensing authority over some nuclear microreactors and small modular reactors, seeking to give that oversight to individual states. Reporting by Valerie Volcovici in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab * Suggested Topics: * Energy * Water Management * Grid & Infrastructure * Refining * Nuclear Valerie Volcovici Thomson Reuters Valerie Volcovici covers U.S. climate and energy policy from Washington, DC. She is focused on climate and environmental regulations at federal agencies and in Congress and how the energy transition is transforming the United States. Other areas of coverage include her award-winning reporting plastic pollution and the ins and outs of global climate diplomacy and United Nations climate negotiations. Timothy Gardner Thomson Reuters Timothy reports on energy and environment policy and is based in Washington, D.C. His coverage ranges from the latest in nuclear power, to environment regulations, to U.S. sanctions and geopolitics. He has been a member of three teams in the past two years that have won Reuters best journalism of the year awards. As a cyclist he is happiest outside.

Valar Atomics partners with Nvidia on nuclear-powered data center By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Valar Atomics announced Wednesday a partnership with Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) to build a small data center in Utah powered by nuclear energy, aiming to demonstrate reduced water consumption for computing facilities used in artificial intelligence. The California-based nuclear power startup made the announcement at its Utah microreactor site, where it conducted a demonstration powering Nvidia's Blackwell AI chip architecture for data centers. The companies said this marked the first instance of a small reactor powering a data center. Valar Atomics is among approximately 10 nuclear energy startups participating in a Department of Energy reactor pilot program. The program has set a target to demonstrate three small reactors reaching criticality by July 4. Criticality occurs when a nuclear reaction can sustain itself. Nvidia announced last week that its latest data center design, DSX, will use closed-loop liquid cooling. The company said this method can reduce facility-cooling water consumption from roughly 2.6 million gallons per megawatt per year to near zero. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.