Donald Trump's second term has ignited a "nuclear bros" movement, with young entrepreneurs striving to boost the US atomic industry through small modular reactors. This revival is largely influenced by the skyrocketing electricity demands of AI data centers. Companies like Valar Atomics, founded by 27-year-old Isaiah Taylor, and Deep Fission are at the forefront, receiving significant investment and regulatory concessions from the Trump administration.
Taylor's Valar Atomics, which he founded in 2023, secured $19 million in seed funding and unveiled its first reactor prototype. Deep Fission, another startup, became part of Trump's "Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program," aimed at fast-tracking commercial operating licenses. This program seeks to have three reactors operational by July 4, 2026, with relaxed Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations and inspections to meet the growing demand for power.
The Trump administration has also promoted nuclear power through the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which eliminated tax credits for wind and solar projects but expanded benefits for nuclear power, offering tax credits of up to 40 percent of investment for new designs. There are plans to make permitting easier, with startups encouraged to build reactors on military bases or historical nuclear sites like the Idaho National Lab. Deep Fission intends to lease 100 acres in Parsons, Kansas, to build multiple reactors, with claims of potential job creation in the hundreds.
Adding to the controversy, the Trump administration has selected several nuclear startups, including Franco-Italian Newcleo and Oklo, to engage in "advanced negotiations" to use Cold War-era plutonium stockpiles as fuel for small modular reactors. This move, which aims to diversify fuel sources due to geopolitical concerns with Russia, has alarmed nuclear non-proliferation specialists, who question the safety and economic feasibility of converting military-grade plutonium into an energy source, suggesting it could be a PR move for these startups.
Venture capitalists, stock market investors, billionaires, and the DOE have invested over $4 billion in new US nuclear ventures in 2025, a significant increase from nearly $500 million in 2020. However, critics like Ann Suellentrop warn that continued deregulation of the NRC under Trump could compromise public safety and environmental protection, turning the commission into a "rubber-stamp" for the administration's goals.
