Valar Atomics
Isaiah Taylor
Data verified as of Jul 17, 2026
Summary
Valar Atomics is an El Segundo-based nuclear startup founded in 2023 by Isaiah Taylor that develops small, mass-manufacturable high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (TRISO fuel, graphite moderator, helium coolant) intended to be deployed by the hundreds on grid-independent 'gigasites' producing power, hydrogen, and carbon-neutral synthetic fuels. As one of 11 projects in the DOE Reactor Pilot Program, its 100 kWt Ward250 test reactor at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab achieved fueled criticality on June 18, 2026 — the first DOE-authorized reactor built and operated outside a national laboratory — then became the first of the pilot reactors to ramp to full power on June 23, and on July 1 generated 100 kW while powering Nvidia Blackwell chips in a live demo. The company and Nvidia are now exploring a 30 MW nearly waterless nuclear-powered AI data center in Orangeville, Utah. Valar has raised roughly $600M, including a $450M equity-and-debt round at a $2B valuation in March 2026 backed by Palmer Luckey and Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar, following a $130M Series A led by Snowpoint Ventures and a $19M seed led by Riot Ventures. It is also building Ward One, a 100 kW research microreactor in the Philippines with the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, and is a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit seeking to exempt small test reactors from full NRC licensing. CEO Isaiah Taylor says Valar hopes to start selling power on a test basis in 2027 and become fully commercial in 2028.
Main Products
A 100 kWt TRISO-fueled, graphite-moderated, helium-cooled high-temperature gas test reactor at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab — roughly minivan-sized before shielding — built to demonstrate the reactor architecture Valar plans to mass-produce, with the design scalable to 5 MWe per unit.
Operating as a DOE-authorized test reactor (not a licensed commercial unit): fueled criticality June 18, 2026; first DOE pilot reactor to full power June 23; generated 100 kW powering Nvidia Blackwell chips July 1. Now in a non-commercial power-ascension and test campaign.
Valar's commercial concept: industrial campuses hosting hundreds to thousands of mass-produced HTGR units (each scalable to ~5 MWe) generating grid-independent electricity, sulfur-iodine-cycle hydrogen, and synthetic hydrocarbon fuels from captured CO2 for data centers, heavy industry, and transportation.
Concept stage, funded by the March 2026 $450M raise. CEO Isaiah Taylor targets test-basis power sales in 2027 and full commercial operation in 2028; the first announced application is a 30 MW nuclear-powered AI data center being explored with Nvidia in Orangeville, Utah.
A 100 kW TRISO-fueled research microreactor being developed in the Philippines with the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute through Valar's local arm VARI (Valar Atomics Research Institute), intended for the University of the Philippines Diliman campus as a standalone, non-grid-connected demonstration unit.
Licensing underway with PNRI under the US-Philippines 123 Agreement; supported by a P192M EOS Organization grant. No public construction or criticality target date; the project has drawn opposition from Greenpeace Philippines, while Meralco has opened talks with Valar on a wider Philippine SMR push.
What's Next
Resolution of the NRC licensing lawsuit
The federal suit Valar joined against the NRC over small-reactor licensing is stayed until September 29, 2026, while the parties pursue a settlement that could exempt low-power test reactors from full commercial licensing — a key unlock for Valar's path to commercial operation.
Operations & Revenue
Operating the 100 kWt Ward250 test reactor at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab under DOE (not NRC) authorization — critical since June 18, 2026, at full power since June 23, and generating electricity in demonstrations since July 1. All revenue is prospective: CEO Isaiah Taylor says Valar hopes to start selling power on a test basis in 2027 and become fully commercial in 2028, which will require NRC licensing (or the regulatory relief it is seeking in court) for commercial generation.
Pipeline & Contracts
Reactor-direct power for AI data centers. With Nvidia, Valar is exploring a 30 MW nearly waterless data center in Orangeville, Utah, pairing its helium-cooled reactors with Nvidia's DSX closed-loop liquid cooling.
Synthetic Fuels & Hydrogen (planned)
Carbon-neutral 'drop-in' hydrocarbon fuels made by combining sulfur-iodine-cycle hydrogen (using reactor process heat) with captured CO2 via modified Fischer-Tropsch synthesis at gigasites.
Key Metrics
Employees
~45 (Nov 2025, latest reliable figure)
Timeline
On June 18, 2026, Ward250 completes a fueled criticality demonstration at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab — the second reactor to go critical under the DOE Reactor Pilot Program (after Antares' Mark-0) and the first DOE-authorized reactor built and operated outside a national laboratory.
Ward250 becomes the first of the DOE pilot reactors to ramp to full power on June 23, 2026, and on July 1 generates 100 kW — powering Nvidia Blackwell chips live on stage as Valar and Nvidia announce plans to explore a 30 MW nearly waterless nuclear-powered AI data center in Orangeville, Utah.
On November 17, 2025, Valar's HALEU TRISO-fueled NOVA core achieves zero-power criticality at Los Alamos National Laboratory's NCERC facility in Nevada — the first criticality under the DOE Reactor Pilot Program. The same month it closes a $130M Series A led by Snowpoint Ventures.
Funding
Cumulative disclosed raise · dated rounds