AI’s Power Boom Could Pull Factory-Built Nuclear Down the Cost Curve

Get in touch - leave me a message AI data centres are creating an extraordinary new demand for electricity. The harder question is whether clean, firm power can be built quickly enough to meet it, without falling back on gas. My guest in this episode is Matt Loszak, co-founder and CEO of Aalo Atomics, which is developing small, factory-built nuclear reactors initially for AI data centres. The bet is that nuclear can move from bespoke megaprojects to repeatable manufactured products, cutting deployment time while preserving the reliability these facilities require. We examine what that shift would actually demand: why standardisation changes nuclear construction, why data centres may provide the high-paying early market needed to bring costs down, and why reaching criticality is very different from proving a commercially viable power plant. We also get into the harder engineering test - operating reliably at high capacity factor, and whether SMRs can scale without recreating the problems of conventional nuclear. Listen now to hear what factory-built nuclear still has to prove, and why AI’s appetite for power may give it an unusually significant opportunity to do so. Sign up to Climate Confident+ for deep dive analysis of the major climate and energy stories of the day. Support the show Podcast subscribers I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers: Anita Krajnc Cecilia Skarupa Ben Gross Jerry Sweeney Andreas Werner Stephen Carroll Roger Arnold And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast  - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes. 🎤 Looking for a keynote speaker on climate, energy, AI, or sustainability? I help executive audiences understand the technologies, trends, and decisions shaping the low-carbon transition.  Download my Speaker Pack: https://tinyurl.com/spkrpck And a quick note before you go: I’ve started a new Reddit community for serious, evidence-led discussion on climate solutions, clean energy, decarbonisation, policy, technology, and what actually works in practice.  If you’d like to suggest future guests, challenge ideas from the show, or share climate reports and solutions worth discussing, join us at r/ClimateConfident