By Danny Vena, CPA
Publication Date: 2026-04-23 18:14:00
Nuclear energy is making a comeback in the U.S. in a big way. Fossil fuels contribute to global warming, and solar and wind energy face limitations. Add to that the rapid adoption of energy-hungry artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, and you have a perfect storm driving demand for nuclear power.
It’s a bit ironic, then, that Nvidia (NVDA +4.30%), whose graphics processing units (GPUs) underpin advances in AI, is partnering with nuclear start-up Oklo (OKLO 7.14%) to advance the next generation of nuclear power.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
In a press release that dropped on Thursday morning, Oklo announced that it was partnering with Nvidia and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to advance nuclear research, nuclear fuel, and critical infrastructure.
“The collaboration is intended to combine advanced nuclear power, AI, digital twins, modeling, and simulation to support critical infrastructure development and accelerate the deployment of nuclear energy,” according to the press release.
The trio plans to develop physics- and chemistry-based AI models, with an emphasis on AI inference models to support nuclear fuel validation, the process used to ensure nuclear fuel rods meet all the applicable safety and regulatory standards necessary for use in a nuclear reactor.
They will also conduct research and development into the materials and fabrication of plutonium-based fuels. There will be studies on power generation, grid reliability, and redundancy, and…
