Aalo Atomics hits criticality in 8 months, betting SMRs can power AI's energy hunger
NinaDSchick · x · 2026-10-23
After visiting Aalo Atomics' Texas SMR factory, Nina Schick argues energy is the critical bottleneck of the AI race: intelligence needs hundreds of GW of new, cheap, clean power.
Key facts:
- Aalo achieved criticality with an experimental reactor at Idaho National Laboratory on July 4, 2026, just 8 months after starting construction — the fastest first-of-its-kind nuclear reactor built in 80 years
- Founding to fission in under 3 years, spending under $100 million, vs. decades and tens of billions for conventional nuclear projects
- The company is betting on vertically integrated manufacturing of small modular reactors, applying Ford-style production to nuclear power
Her thesis: intelligence increasingly determines economic prosperity and geopolitical power, and those who can't produce the energy to power it will be weaker and poorer.
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