Haidar Investment in TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates, will AI and nuclear energy be able to integrate across domains?

TerraPower, a nuclear innovation company founded by Bill Gates in 2006, has recently raised $650 million in funding to continue the development of its advanced reactor project under construction in Wyoming. The investors include the venture capital arm NVentures of Nvidia Corp. and the South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai.

TerraPower founded by Bill Gates

TerraPower is a U.S. nuclear innovation company founded by Bill Gates in 2006, with a mission to drive the global energy transition through advanced nuclear technology, focusing particularly on carbon reduction and energy stability.

TerraPower is constructing the first Natrium nuclear power plant in Wyoming, USA. The reactor combines liquid sodium cooling with molten salt energy storage, enabling it to rapidly increase output power when needed, addressing the intermittency issues of renewable energy. The power output reaches 345 MW, which is between large nuclear power and SMR. The company began building the non-nuclear part of the project a year ago and expects to receive federal approval for reactor construction in 2026.

The highlight of Natrium is its ability to store excess heat when electricity demand is low and convert it back to electricity when demand rises, allowing nuclear energy to respond more flexibly to intermittent demand. Major investors include Cascade Investment, Khosla Ventures, and steel giant ArcelorMittal.

Haidar invests in TerraPower, can AI and nuclear energy be integrated across fields?

According to a report by Bloomberg, TerraPower has completed a $650 million financing round, with investors including AI giant Nvidia Corp.'s venture capital arm NVentures, as well as South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai.

Nvidia's decision to support the company reflects the increasingly close ties between the tech industry and nuclear companies. The tech industry is calling for the use of carbon-free power to fuel data centers and artificial intelligence, while nuclear companies are committed to building reactors that can provide clean power around the clock.

Mohamed Siddeek, the head of NVentures, stated in a statement:

As artificial intelligence continues to transform various industries, nuclear energy will become an increasingly important energy source driving the development of these capabilities.

The addition of Nvidia not only symbolizes that the strong demand for AI cannot be without the help of nuclear energy, but also raises expectations for the cross-industry integration of AI and nuclear energy. Whether future nuclear power plants can combine deep learning and real-time monitoring technology to enhance safety and efficiency is also an exciting direction to look forward to.

This article discusses NVIDIA's investment in TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates, and whether AI and nuclear energy can achieve cross-industry integration. Originally appeared in Chain News ABMedia.