Valar Atomics, a startup building small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), is in talks to raise new funding at a $6 billion valuation. Sequoia Capital is leading the discussions, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The company has already raised $450 million — including $340 million in equity and $110 million in debt — at a $2 billion valuation, per a earlier Bloomberg report. Earlier this month, Valar demonstrated its nuclear reactor powering an Nvidia AI chip and announced a partnership with Nvidia to explore nuclear energy for future AI data centers.
Founded by Isaiah Taylor, who dropped out of high school at 16 and is now 27, Valar uses helium-cooled, high-temperature gas reactor technology. The company counts Palmer Luckey and Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar among its backers. Data center electricity needs are projected to grow sharply, making nuclear power one of the most closely watched corners of the AI infrastructure boom.
