为因应总统 Donald Trump 于 2025 年 5 月颁布的行政命令所设定的 2026 年 7 月 4 日截止日期，三家核能新创公司——Valar Atomics、Antares Nuclear 和 Deployable Energy——已在能源部试点计划下的国家实验室中，使其新型测试反应炉达到临界状态。该计划旨在启动能源部长 Chris Wright 所称的「美国核能复兴」，缩短了传统上每个反应炉需耗时长达十年的开发时程。这一进展得益于 2026 年 2 月的政策转变，该转变简化了环境与安全审查，从而节省了大量时间。
尽管达成了这一里程碑，专家强调这些原型机尚未代表商业产品或可并网发电的发电机。例如，另一家试点参与者 Aalo Atomics 预计很快将达到临界，但其最终设计仍缺乏钠等关键组件。虽然 Valar Atomics 于 2026 年 7 月 2 日短暂为一片 Nvidia AI 晶片供电，创下先进反应炉首度发电的历史纪录，但走向商业部署仍面临核能管制委员会多年授权程序的考验，以及专用燃料供应链的巨大障碍。
科技领域和矽谷投资人日益倡导使用小型、全天候无碳的核反应炉来为数据中心供电。然而，产业分析师警告切勿过度乐观。Veriten 的 Brett Rampal 强调，从历史上看，美国的核电厂运作普遍超出了预算和时程。要跨越实验室规模的临界与经济上可行的商业部署之间的鸿沟，仍然是一项艰巨的挑战，需要同时克服法规导航以及解决持续存在的资金与供应链限制。
In response to a May 2025 executive order by President Donald Trump setting a July 4, 2026, deadline, three nuclear startups—Valar Atomics, Antares Nuclear, and Deployable Energy—have reached criticality with new test reactors at national laboratories under a Department of Energy pilot program. Aimed at initiating what Energy Secretary Chris Wright terms a "nuclear renaissance," the program accelerated development timelines, which traditionally took up to ten years per reactor. This progress was facilitated by a February 2026 policy shift that streamlined environmental and safety reviews, offering significant time savings.
Despite the milestone, experts emphasize these prototypes do not yet represent commercial products or grid-ready electricity generators. For instance, Aalo Atomics, another pilot participant, expects criticality soon but lacks key components like sodium for its final design. Although Valar Atomics briefly powered an Nvidia AI chip on July 2, 2026, marking a historic first for advanced reactors, the transition to commercial deployment faces multi-year licensing procedures by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and significant supply chain hurdles for specialized fuel.
The tech sector and Silicon Valley investors increasingly advocate for smaller, 24/7 carbon-free nuclear reactors to power data centers. However, industry analysts caution against over-optimism. Brett Rampal of Veriten highlights that historically, US nuclear power plants have consistently exceeded budgets and schedules. Bridging the gap between lab-scale criticality and economically viable commercial deployment remains a formidable challenge, requiring both regulatory navigation and the resolution of persistent financial and supply chain constraints.