Nuclear startup Valar Atomics raises $1B tied to Nvidia deal

Valar Atomics raised $1 billion at a $6 billion valuation in a round led by Sequoia's Shaun Maguire. The raise follows a development deal the company signed with Nvidia in June.

Why it matters: This extends a pattern of chipmakers and hyperscalers backing nuclear power to meet AI data center energy demand, following recent deals like Crusoe's small reactor in Idaho and Commonwealth Fusion Systems' $1 billion raise. Nvidia's direct involvement suggests compute providers are starting to underwrite their own power supply rather than waiting on utilities.