"In the last several weeks of 2025 alone, nuclear startups raised $1.1 billion, largely on investor optimism that smaller nuclear reactors will succeed where the broader industry has recently stumbled. Traditional nuclear reactors are massive pieces of infrastructure. The newest reactors built in the U.S. - Vogtle 3 and 4 in Georgia - contain tens of thousands of tons of concrete, are powered by fuel assemblies 14 feet tall, and generate over 1 gigawatt of electricity each."
"But manufacturing isn't easy. Just look at Tesla's experience: The company struggled mightily to profitably produce the Model 3 in large numbers - and it had the benefit of being in the automotive industry, where the U.S. still has significant expertise. U.S. nuclear startups don't have that advantage. "I have a number of friends who work in supply chain for nuclear, and they can rattle off like five to ten materials that we just don't make in the United States," Milo Werner, general partner at DCVC, told TechCrunch."
Nuclear investment surged as startups raised $1.1 billion in late 2025 based on expectations for smaller reactors. Traditional reactors are extremely large, costly, and subject to schedule overruns. Startups aim to shrink reactors to enable modular additions and mass production, hoping learning curves will reduce costs. The potential cost and schedule benefits remain uncertain but are assumed positive by many startups. Manufacturing scale-up faces major challenges, including shortages of domestically produced specialized materials and components. Automakers' production struggles, such as Tesla's Model 3 rollout, illustrate the difficulty of high-volume manufacturing. Supply-chain gaps could hinder U.S. reactor production.
Read at TechCrunch
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