Valar Atomics seeks $1B at a $5B valuation after briefly powering Nvidia Blackwell with nuclear energy
创业邦 · wechat · 2026-07-22
Valar Atomics says a Blackwell GPU was briefly powered by a nuclear reactor in Utah, and the startup is now reportedly seeking $1 billion at a $5 billion valuation, up from $2 billion three months earlier.
The piece frames Valar as trying to become the “SpaceX of nuclear” for AI infrastructure:
- Its Ward250 reactor reached zero-power criticality and is described as the fifth new U.S. reactor to do so since 2000.
- Valar used the DOE’s test-reactor path, not the slower NRC commercial route.
- The company claims it built a reactor protection system for $400,000 in six weeks, versus a $5 million quote.
- It also says it built a prefabricated biological shield wall in 42 hours instead of three months.
- The long-term bet is a 30 MW closed-loop AI power plant that avoids local water use.
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