California-based nuclear startup Valar Atomics Inc. generated power from an advanced microreactor to run an Nvidia Corp.
AI chip during a demonstration in Orangeville, Utah, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
>>> Rising Waters Threaten Historic Jamestown Settlement as Archaeologists Race Against Time
The event marked the first time a next-generation reactor has produced electricity in the United States, as reported by Bloomberg.
The Ward 250 reactor was connected to an Nvidia Blackwell chip to temporarily host a website, and both companies announced a collaboration to explore building a 30-megawatt, nearly waterless data center in Utah.
Reactor Design and Cooling System
The cooling framework of the Ward 250 reactor utilizes a pressurized helium system instead of conventional water cooling to extract thermal energy.
Valar Atomics founder and CEO Isaiah Taylor explained that the reactor operates at higher temperatures, eliminating the need for water cooling.
The proposed data center will combine this helium cooling system with Nvidia’s new direct liquid cooling technology, which maintains pumped water at 113°F to eliminate the need for power-hungry water chillers.
Taylor noted that Nvidia’s cooling architecture also operates at higher temperatures, allowing for air cooling and a closed-loop system.
Energy Density and Fuel Efficiency
Taylor highlighted the power density of nuclear fission, noting that the fuel inside the Ward 250 reactor can sustain operations for 165 years.
He illustrated that if the fuel were concentrated, it would form a mere five-inch cube.
“This is enough energy to send the fully loaded Saturn V rocket and Apollo capsule to the moon 12 times,” Taylor said.
