Three-year-old nuclear startup Valar Atomics is in talks to raise roughly $1 billion at a $6 billion post-money valuation, with Sequoia Capital expected to lead the round, TechCrunch reported on July 17. The company also announced a partnership with Nvidia to explore powering future AI data centers with its helium-cooled, TRISO-fueled high-temperature gas reactors.
From Ward 250 criticality to $6B valuation
Valar's Ward 250 test reactor achieved zero-power criticality at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab in June under the DOE Reactor Pilot Program, one of only three advanced reactor designs on track to hit that milestone by the program's July 4 deadline. Founder Isaiah Taylor has said the plan is mass-manufactured, sub-100 MWt units deployed on 'gigasites' outside the grid.
Nvidia deal opens AI-data-center demand
The Nvidia partnership, first disclosed alongside Valar's 30MW Utah nuclear pact, formalises the AI-hyperscaler thesis behind Sequoia's move. Nvidia has signalled that power constraints are now the binding factor on AI training capacity, and clean baseload from small modular reactors is emerging as one of the fastest ways to add gigawatts.
SMR capital sprint intensifies
Valar joins a swelling group of well-funded nuclear plays, alongside Deployable Energy's Unity microreactor and fusion startups building U.S. factories. Analysts expect at least three of the DOE pilot designs to achieve full criticality this year.
Reporting based on coverage from TechCrunch, DOE and Valar Atomics.