Radiant raises $300M to make mass-produced nuclear reactors a reality

Radiant Industries Inc., a pioneering startup developing portable, mass-produced nuclear microreactors, said Wednesday it has raised greater than $300 million in a late-stage funding round.

Draper Associates and Boost VC led the Series D round, and extra existing investors also joined the corporate’s newest capital raise, coming six months after its Series C.

As artificial intelligence continues to drive ever-increasing demand for power generation, data centers and enormous campuses are drawing on a broader mixture of energy sources. Nuclear reactors offer a definite advantage: They’re always-on systems, meaning that even when the local power grid fails, they proceed producing energy. This makes them an alternative choice to expensive diesel backup generators.

“Micro-scaled nuclear, mass produced for the primary time ever, can transform how the general public thinks about nuclear energy,” said Radiant founder and Chief Executive Doug Bernauer.

When Radiant says “micro-scaled,” the corporate is referring to semi-trailer-truck-sized reactors. Though the scaffolding and housing may appear large, they’re extremely small when put next with traditional nuclear facilities.

The reactors themselves are factory-built and readily transportable, making them mobile enough to be hauled wherever power is required.

“This funding enables us to construct our factory and keep to our DOME schedule, where we’ll achieve self-sustained chain response on a reactor designed by, built by, fueled by and operated by Radiant alongside our partners on the Idaho National Lab,” Bernauer added.

DOME is Idaho National Laboratory’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments facility; Radiant plans to furnish and activate its first reactor there next 12 months. The Kaleidos Demonstration Unit will likely be tested at DOME in the summertime of 2026, making it the primary reactor designed in america to be tested at INL’s facility.

The corporate designed its reactors to offer power coverage for critical infrastructure and disaster response, where power may not all the time be reliable. Distant facilities, defense operations and other infrastructure may gain advantage from always-on power generation that may be delivered by truck.

“Radiant is a pacesetter within the American nuclear startup space, designing reactors essential to our prosperity and security,” said Rachel Slaybaugh, partner at DCVC and a former program director on the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E, where she created the nuclear fission program.

The corporate has already secured a cope with Equinix Inc., a worldwide data center and interconnection provider, to buy 20 reactors. The corporate has also signed delivery contracts with the U.S. military.

Radiant announced that it is going to begin constructing and mass-producing its portable reactors in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The factory, called R-50, is a nod to the location’s historical role in the Manhattan Project, which conducted secret nuclear production during World War II. The S-50 Project focused on producing enriched uranium; in today’s terms, R-50 reflects Radiant’s goal of delivering 50 reactors per 12 months.

Large enterprises have increasingly invested in nuclear power, including small and modular reactors, to offer ancillary, always-on energy for data center campuses. Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Google LLC have all pursued nuclear power to support their facilities. Microsoft, specifically, is ready to learn from the reopening of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant by Constellation Energy Generation LLC, which is able to supply power to the corporate’s nearby data centers.

Even President Trump is attempting to get into the sport, in a deal announced today. His social media company Trump Media and Technology Group said it’s merging with TAE Technologies, a  company pursuing fusion power, whose viability remains to be uncertain.

Image: Radiant Industries