Sequoia Capital led a $1 billion Series B funding round for Valar Atomics, valuing the nuclear startup at $6 billion post-money. Founded in 2023 by CEO Isaiah Taylor, the company develops high-temperature gas-cooled small modular reactors using TRISO fuel and helium cooling, targeting AI data centers. In July 2026, the Ward 250 test reactor, backed by the US Department of Energy, successfully generated enough power to run an Nvidia AI chip. Total funding reached $1.2 billion including a $200 million credit facility. Global electricity demand from AI workloads alone is projected to exceed 200 TWh by 2030.
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