Another SMR on the Horizon

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OKLO is collaborating with Idaho National Lab to launch its liquid metal-cooled fast reactor, AURORA, by 2027, which will serve as a power source for OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman. The company is adopting a unique business model that involves long-term energy agreements instead of traditional licensing agreements, simplifying the process for customers who want nuclear energy without the complexities of owning a reactor. This approach aims to alleviate the burden on customers, allowing them to focus solely on energy procurement. Despite the innovative model, there are doubts about the U.S. government's support for fast reactor development. Overall, OKLO's strategy represents a significant shift in how nuclear energy can be accessed and utilized.
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The nuclear reactor startup OKLO is working with Idaho National Lab to get its liquid metal-cooled fast reactor design (AURORA, 15MWe) up and running by 2027 which Open AI CEO Sam Altman intends to use for his company's power source. Details here.

They also have a different business model.
Unlike many other nuclear companies, Oklo will have customers sign a long-term energy agreement plan instead of a licensing agreement. This "takes the burden away from our customers" of having to create a plant to use the technology. Oklo will simply supply the energy.

"It's taking a different approach to the business model," DeWitte said. "We've had a lot of traction with that because we make it easier for folks to buy what they're interested in in a nuclear system, which is the energy. They don't have to buy the reactors and everything else with it."
 
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I see no universe where the US government will support building fast reactors.
 
gleem said:
The nuclear reactor startup OKLO is working with Idaho National Lab to get its liquid metal-cooled fast reactor design (AURORA, 15MWe) up and running by 2027 which Open AI CEO Sam Altman intends to use for his company's power source.

Um, there was already a movie about this, where a sentient supercomputer with its own dedicated fission reactor power source went a bit sideways. Hopefully the Russians aren't planning the same thing...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus:_The_Forbin_Project

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064177/
 

Thread 'What type of energy is actually stored inside an atom?'

What type of energy is actually stored inside an atom? When an atom is split—such as in a nuclear explosion—it releases enormous energy, much of it in the form of gamma-ray electromagnetic radiation. Given this, is it correct to say that the energy stored in the atom is fundamentally electromagnetic (EM) energy? If not, how should we properly understand the nature of the energy that binds the nucleus and is released during fission?
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