Radiant Nuclear raises $300M for helium-cooled 1 MW microreactor

TechCrunch
TechCrunch
2h ago
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Radiant Nuclear raised $300M for a 1 MW helium-cooled microreactor to replace diesel generators at commercial and military sites. Demonstration testing is planned for mid-2026.
Radiant Nuclear raises $300M for helium-cooled 1 MW microreactor
A What happened
Radiant Nuclear announced a $300 million funding round led by Draper Associates and Boost VC to develop a semi-sized 1 MW microreactor, cooled by helium and fueled with TRISO fuel intended to last five years between refuelings. The company aims to replace diesel generators for commercial and military users and has a supply agreement with Equinix for 20 reactors at data centers. Radiant plans to build and test a demonstration reactor at Idaho National Lab in mid-2026. The project is part of a government initiative to have three first-of-a-kind reactors achieve criticality by July 4, 2026, accelerating regulatory timelines without providing grants or loans. As many nuclear startups pursue similar aims amid surging data center power demand, Radiant’s progress will test the viability of commercial microreactor scaling and mass manufacturing for cost competitiveness.
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Key insights

  • 1

    New funding reflects rapid growth and investor enthusiasm for microreactors: Radiant’s large funding round and high valuation signal strong investor interest in small modular nuclear reactors driven by rising power demands across data centers and military sites.

  • 2

    Push for rapid regulatory approval underscores U.S.: The Trump-era program enabling accelerated licensing timelines for first-of-a-kind reactors incentivizes startups to target first criticality by mid-2026, emphasizing regulatory speed as a barrier to commercialization.

  • 3

    Microreactors aim to disrupt diesel power with longer refueling cycles and: Radiant’s helium-cooled design with TRISO fuel provides longer operation between refuelings and enhanced meltdown resistance, potentially making distributed nuclear power more practical for commercial and defense use.

Takeaways

Radiant Nuclear’s funding round and planned demonstration represent key steps in the effort to commercialize microreactors as flexible, safe, and low-carbon power sources amid increasing demand from tech and defense sectors.

Topics

Climate & Environment Energy Business & Markets Innovation Energy Transition