Everstar's founder argues the nuclear industry's core problem isn't the science, which is proven and safe. The real barrier is the "regulatory labyrinth" and millions of pages of documentation required for approval—a process problem that modern software can solve.

Startups can bypass the lengthy NRC process for initial reactor tests by using Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Defense (DOD) pathways. The DOE, with national labs, can regulate test reactors for faster innovation. Crucially, the Army can now license its own reactors, creating a direct regulatory and commercial path to a key market.

The massive energy consumption of AI has made tech giants the most powerful force advocating for new power sources. Their commercial pressure is finally overcoming decades of regulatory inertia around nuclear energy, driving rapid development and deployment of new reactor technologies to meet their insatiable demand.

Contrary to popular belief, the main obstacle for nuclear power is not engineering—safe reactors have existed since the 1960s. The real problem is a hyper-restrictive regulatory environment created in the 1980s that makes it incredibly difficult and slow to get new reactors approved and built.

Antares CEO Jordan Bramble argues the military is the best entry market for advanced nuclear. It offers a $2B budget, established regulatory pathways, and a pressing need for resilient, off-grid power, creating the perfect environment to mature the technology before commercial rollout to data centers.

Facing immense electricity needs for AI, tech giants like Amazon are now directly investing in nuclear power, particularly small modular reactors (SMRs). This infusion of venture capital is revitalizing a sector that has historically relied on slow-moving government funding, imbuing it with a Silicon Valley spirit.

While current nuclear projects take 10-15 years in the US, the country used to build reactors in just three years. The goal is not just creating new technology, but streamlining paperwork and supply chains to restore past efficiency. The bottleneck is bureaucracy, not technical capability.

Valor Atomic is building its first small modular reactor on an aggressive timeline by using a "brute force" approach that includes political leverage. Close ties to the Trump administration facilitated regulatory overhauls, shifting some oversight from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to the Department of Energy, enabling faster development.

A key advantage of barge-mounted reactors isn't just mobility, it's speed. By operating in a maritime environment, companies can bypass the slow, expensive, and complex process of land excavation and permitting required for traditional power plants.