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Two companies supported by Bill Gates and Sam Altman have collected more than $ 1 billion, since the investor optimism, that nuclear energy leads to the effect of artificial intelligence revolution, will contribute to this.
Terrapower, a private company founded by Gates, said on Wednesday that it collected $ 650 million from investors, including the extraction of funds from the risk capital arm of the US chip maker Nvidia.
This is followed by a 460-MIO. Dollar capital increase this week by Oklo, the listed developer of small modular reactors supported by Altman, a new type of core reactor that generates about a third or less performance of the performance of standard models.
According to analysts, companies use a positive financing environment that is created by the recent business of Google, Meta and Microsoft with nuclear developers and state support. This increased the stock prices of the shares in connection with nuclear energy to the recording of levels and creates private financing, they said.
Chris Levesque, Chief Executive from Terrapower, told Financial Times that the financing was further proof that nuclear technology would be an important source for power that industry needs for AI.
Terrapower has collected more than $ 2 billion in private financing and gained a grant of $ 2 billion from the US government to the co-finance Design and construction His first core reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming, which is cooled more by liquid sodium than water.
Some existing investors, including Gates and HD Hyundai, a South Korean conglomerate, also took part in the latest fundraiser, said Terrapower.
“This will finance Terrapower operations,” said Levesque, a former officer of an atom -u boat, in an interview.
He added that the company would end its plant design this year and that the construction in Kemmerer had been taking for more than a year.
Terrapower is located in a breed with other US core reactor developers such as Oklo as well as Chinese and Russian groups to remove their SMR designs and prove that they can be commercially successful.
They react to an increase in the interest of technology companies and supply companies that strive for reliable power supply to fire the more powerful AI data centers.
After two decades almost flat growth, electricity demand In the United States, by 2050 by 2050, up to 2023 will probably be increased, according to ICF forecasts.
“The global increase in demand, especially for 24/7 electricity to the electricity industry and AI, as well as the environmental advantages and the supply restrictions of alternatives have created a market premium for nuclear energy,” said Adam Stein, Analyst at the Breakthrough Institute Think-Tank.
“Investment opportunities for developers of nuclear energy technology and the associated supply chain are currently very strong,” he said.
On Monday, Oklo announced that it had collected $ 460 million in funds due to an increase in equity, more than $ 60 million was managed by the company.
Altman, who was an early investor in Oklo and became a chair in 2015. stepped down From the role in April to avoid a conflict of interest before the company began talks with Open AI about signing an energy contract.
Small reactor developers such as Oklo, X-Energy and NewCleo have collected at least $ 2 billion since the beginning of 2024. accordingly An FT analysis of public records and data from Pitchbook and Bloomberf.
