Aalo Atomics Leads Effort to Energize AI Data Centers with Nuclear Power

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Aalo Atomics has ambitious goals, aiming to become the leading source of nuclear power for AI data centers.

“We're exclusively focused initially on how to mass produce nuclear reactors and provide power to AI data centers,” said Aalo Atomics President and Chief Technology Officer Yasir Arafat. “Once we can build many of these and can bring the cost curve down per unit, then it's going to open up other markets like industrial applications, desalination, or powering small towns or communities.”

The Aalo-X Critical Test Reactor reached criticality twenty minutes after midnight on the Fourth of July. As the fourth U.S. nuclear reactor to sustain a controlled nuclear chain reaction since June, it advances a remarkable track record of success for nuclear energy.

It’s the third reactor to go critical at Idaho National Laboratory in one month, exceeding President Donald Trump’s goal for three reactors to reach the milestone by the nation’s 250th birthday.

Aalo Atomics' future reactors would supply power to data centers without burdening the grid.

“In the next five years alone, we would need to add at least 100 GW for just AI data centers along in this country," Arafat said. "That is a tremendous amount of energy.”

Aalo is planning to build a second reactor, the Aalo Pod, and a data center next door. Ground has already been broken for the additional reactor’s construction, and Aalo anticipates it will be generating 10 megawatts of electricity by July 4th next year.

“We want to take that electricity and connect to a co-located, co-build AI data center – just to see how a co-located data center and nuclear can live together," Arafat said. "How do we deal with some of the harmonics that can exist from data center usage back to a spinning turbine nuclear reactor?"

The company built its entire reactor and facility in less than eight months.

“This reactor was designed at full scale to our 30 Megawatt thermal, 10 Megawatt electric full-powered system, so that whatever we learn from the Critical Test Reactor is directly applicable to our commercial system," he said.

The new reactor is located adjacent to the Materials and Fuels Complex at Idaho National Laboratory.

Aalo has major plans to scale the technology and expand its manufacturing in the future.

“So right now, we have a 40,000-square-foot facility," Arafat explained. "Over the next three years, we want to expand that to 1,000,000-ft² of manufacturing capability in this country. Honestly, this would be the largest commercially-run and operated manufacturing facility for nuclear ever in this country.”

Aalo Atomics is at the heart of the U.S. Nuclear Renaissance - pairing advanced nuclear reactors with America’s expanding thirst for electricity.

“We want to make nuclear ubiquitous – meaning be able to apply anywhere, any location where there's a need for reliable 24/7 clean energy," Arafat said.