California-based startup nuclear Valar Atomics used its Ward 250 advanced
reactor to power an NVIDIA Blackwell chip in a demonstration at its Utah site on
Wednesday, briefly hosting a website. Output was very small, but this is the
first time a next-generation reactor in the US has generated power for such
equipment. The reactor reached criticality last month, marking the start of a
self-sustaining fission reaction. Valar and NVIDIA said they have agreed to
jointly explore developing nuclear-powered AI systems. The advanced reactor
sector remains early-stage and no advanced reactors are yet commercialized in
the US.
