What is Valar Atomics?

A California nuclear-reactor startup founded in 2023 by CEO Isaiah Taylor that builds standardized, mass-manufactured reactors — including its Ward 250 unit — aimed at powering AI data centers, industrial sites and national-security facilities.

Did Valar Atomics' reactor really power an Nvidia chip?

Yes — after Ward 250 reached criticality on June 18, Valar says the reactor generated electricity that powered an Nvidia Blackwell system, which the company calls the first time an advanced reactor has directly powered AI hardware.

How much is Valar Atomics worth now?

The new $1 billion Series B, led by Sequoia Capital, values Valar at roughly $6 billion — about triple its previous valuation — with an additional $200 million credit facility from Erebor Bank and a JPMorgan-led syndicate.

Is this the first privately built reactor to go critical outside a national lab?

According to the US Department of Energy, yes. Ward 250 was the second reactor to reach criticality under a federal pilot program, and the first built and operated by a private company outside a national laboratory.

Valar Atomics Raises $1B to Mass-Produce Nuclear Reactors for AI

Valar Atomics, a startup building mass-manufactured nuclear reactors to power AI data centers, has raised $1 billion in Series B funding led by Sequoia Capital, the company announced August 3. Sequoia also arranged a $200 million credit facility led by Erebor Bank and a JPMorgan-led syndicate, bringing Valar’s new capital to $1.2 billion at a $6 billion post-money valuation — roughly triple its prior mark.

Founded in 2023 by CEO Isaiah Taylor, the El Segundo, California-based company says it wants to bring “manufacturing economics” to nuclear power by building standardized, vertically integrated reactors rather than one-off custom plants. Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire is joining Valar’s board; other backers in the round include Point72, Valor Equity Partners, Conviction and Riot Ventures.

Reactor Goes Critical, Then Powers Nvidia Chips

The raise follows a milestone for Valar’s first commercial-scale unit, Ward 250, a 100-kilowatt-thermal nuclear reactor fueled with TRISO particles. On June 18, Ward 250 achieved self-sustaining criticality at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab, under a Department of Energy pilot program directing developers to bring advanced reactors online by July 4. The DOE says Valar’s reactor was the second to go critical under that program and the first built and operated by a private company outside a national laboratory.

Valar says Ward 250 subsequently generated electricity that powered an Nvidia Blackwell system, calling it the first time an advanced reactor has directly powered AI computing hardware. The company and Nvidia have also announced plans to co-develop a waterless 30-megawatt “AI factory” designed to run alongside Ward 250’s own waterless cooling system, an approach aimed at growing scrutiny over how much water AI data centers consume.

Part of a Broader Power Race

The deal adds Valar to a wave of AI power investment, following agreements such as AMD’s $14 billion deal with Core Scientific for up to 2.5 gigawatts of capacity. Valar has also worked with the DOE on two pilot programs and earlier reached cold-criticality testing at Los Alamos National Laboratory before building Ward 250. The company has not said when its reactors will reach commercial-scale output for paying customers.

Reactor Goes Critical, Then Powers Nvidia Chips

Part of a Broader Power Race

Frequently asked questions