Postcards from the Exponential Age: Day 5

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A nuclear energy startup backed by Bill Gates says it will start building the first next-generation nuclear power plant in the U.S. in June.

TerraPower says it is applying for permits to start construction of its advanced Natrium reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Gates recently heralded the coming of the Wyoming reactor on his blog, doubling down on his argument that ‘the world needs to make a big bet on nuclear’.

We’re on the verge of a nuclear renaissance led by a host of nuclear power startups. Think players such as TerraPower, X-Energy, and Last Energy, who want to make small modular reactors in disused U.S. shipyards. And one key implication? This renaissance will fuel the AI revolution happening now.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is a major investor in Helion, a U.S. startup pursuing fusion power. The Altman and Gates connections here are no accident. Both of these tech leaders know that to fuel the AI revolution that is accelerating now, we’re going to need much more computing. And that means huge energy demands.

AI and energy are now falling into a symbiotic, flywheel relationship. It’s an epic Exponential Age story and one we’ve been watching from the start. Much more to come.

Poll Results Are In

We’ll have more next week on that…

In the meantime, see you shortly here.