Valar Atomics Pitches Nearly Waterless AI Power in Utah

Valar Atomics announced a partnership with Nvidia to explore AI data centers powered directly by its Ward250 reactor in Utah, aiming for a nearly waterless design and positioning advanced nuclear energy as a direct feed for artificial intelligence infrastructu

On July 1. 2026. the American flag waved between two boom lifts at Valar Atomics’ Orangeville. Utah site as employees. investors. government officials. and Nvidia executives gathered for a milestone announcement—one that framed a familiar tension in a new way: how to grow AI without pulling more water from the grid.

Valar Atomics. founded in 2023. said it is teaming up with Nvidia to explore the development of artificial intelligence data centers in Utah. with the companies considering a 30-megawatt. nearly waterless facility powered directly by Valar’s Ward250 reactor. If the effort moves forward, the companies said it would be the first time advanced nuclear energy directly powers AI.

Before the celebration fully settled. Isaiah Taylor—Valar Atomics’ founder and CEO—invited people onto a stage that drew a standing ovation. He told the crowd. “I started this company with a very simple belief. which is that nuclear reactors ought to be built. and that no team was moving with the conviction and tenacity required to build the future.”.

Valar Atomics said its pace has been quick. The company broke ground in Orangeville, Utah, last September. Its Ward250 reactor went critical on June 18 and is now generating 100 kilowatts of electricity. The company described that as the first time in history a startup has produced nuclear power.

Taylor tied the momentum to government action. pointing to four executive orders signed by President Donald Trump last year that he said have streamlined progress. “When government works hand in hand to fulfill its proper function — that is. to protect the public while allowing growth and innovation — beautiful things can happen. The American way has always been a way of growth and innovation. of looking at hard problems and saying. I can solve that. ” Taylor said.

The water question sat at the center of the pitch. Valar Atomics and Nvidia are exploring a proposed 30 megawatt data center fully powered by the reactor. The company said the Ward250’s helium cooling system. combined with Nvidia’s water-efficient cooling technology. would allow the facility to operate with almost no water use.

Valar’s leadership also tried to anchor the idea in scale. The proposed data center would be 300 times smaller than the approved Stratos data center in Box Elder County.

Max Ukropina, head of projects at Valar Atomics, addressed concerns about both water use and electricity costs. “For families in Orangeville and Emery County. and for Americans concerned about their electric and water bills. this partnership delivers concrete reassurance. ” Ukropina said. “The facility will create high-skill jobs in reactor operations, data center engineering and advanced manufacturing. It will attract private capital. strengthen supply chains and generate sustained tax revenue without placing new demands on local water supplies for the broader grid.”.

Nvidia’s role in that argument came through its recently announced AI factory design, DSX. The company said DSX uses a highly water-efficient direct liquid cooling system, with water pumped through the factory remaining at 113°F to eliminate the need for power-hungry water chillers.

Ukropina followed that theme by framing the partnership as a way out of a tradeoff he said people were being forced to imagine. “We are delivering the means to expand capability without forcing Americans to choose between their power bills. their water bills or their country’s future in artificial intelligence. ” he said. Americans, he added, do not need to choose between AI infrastructure and the water and power it requires. “America rejects that price. We do not believe in zero-sum games.”.

Behind the excitement, there was a clear regulatory hurdle. Before Valar Atomics can generate power commercially, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will need to license their reactor. In a recent editorial board meeting with the Deseret News. NRC chairman Ho Nieh said the commission is hoping to shorten federal licensing review times to less than 18 months.

Taylor’s presentation returned often to the reactor itself. A descendant of a Manhattan Institute engineer. he founded his company at age 24 with the goal of creating nuclear reactors smaller. safer. and on a factory line. “Valar Atomics is the company that is done waiting for someone else to unleash the power of the atom. ” he said on Wednesday.

He used comparisons meant to make fission feel immediate. Taylor described how chemical energy works—saying “a gallon of gasoline is enough to drive you 20 miles in a car” and “a candy bar has the chemical energy to let you walk for three miles”—before contrasting it with what he called the “strong force” that binds atoms together. “Nuclear fission is unlike anything else found in nature. It defies all sense of proportion,” Taylor said.

He also referenced the Ward250 as he spoke. “Nuclear fission is unlike anything else found in nature. It defies all sense of proportion,” he said, while describing that the reactor sat 150 feet from him. Taylor said that if the fuel in Valar Atomics’ first reactor were to be concentrated. it would form a five-inch cube. He described the energy scale in stark terms. saying. “This is enough energy to send the fully loaded Saturn V rocket and Apollo capsule to the moon 12 times. It’s enough energy to drive your car around the entire Earth 7,000 times. If you were to continuously accelerate a 100-lb craft with this quantity of energy. it would achieve 37% the speed of light.”.

Taylor told the audience the fuel inside the Ward250 will let it continue running for 165 years. “This is the force that we are harnessing. It is humbling and sobering and incredibly exciting,” he said.

Utah’s political and energy leaders lined up to celebrate what they described as progress for the state and for the broader nuclear future. Emy Lesofski. director of Utah’s office of energy development. told the audience in Orangeville that Valar Atomics has “met and exceeded” the expectations of the state. “We in Utah are grateful to be a part of their story and proud to be a part of America’s nuclear future. ” Lesofski said.

After Lesofski, Orangeville native state Sen. David Hinkins stepped on stage. He described Emery County’s longstanding role in Utah’s energy market. saying. “We’ve been the producing county in the state of Utah forever — ever since I was a little kid.” Hinkins referenced Castle Gate Power Plant. a 172-megawatt coal-fired plant demolished in 2017. which he said ran the county’s uranium mines.

Hinkins said the goal is to keep manufacturing in place. “We want to do everything we can to keep manufacturing here,” he said. Then he added a line aimed at courting future growth while managing local identity: “I want to thank everyone for being here and being supportive. Hopefully we can continue to grow — not too much. I mean. we don’t mind being invaded by California as long as they bring jobs like this.”.

Valar Atomics Nvidia Ward250 nuclear reactor AI data centers Utah Orangeville water-efficient cooling DSX Nuclear Regulatory Commission Ho Nieh Isaiah Taylor