a16z Podcast

A Nuclear Comeback: Are New Reactors the Answer?

Dr. Kathryn Huff, Doug Bernauer, David Ulevitch, and Steph Smith

Posted March 15, 2024

Nuclear energy accounts for 20% of the electricity in the United States, but remarkably, 2023 marked the commissioning of the U.S.’s first new nuclear reactor in over three decades. The past few years have been a story of changing public opinion, but equally, innovative startups crafting groundbreaking reactor designs and an ambitious announcement by the U.S. government to triple nuclear power production by 2050.

In this episode recorded at a16z’s American Dynamism Summit in Washington DC, a16z podcast host Steph Smith is joined by a16z General Partner David Ulevich, Doug Bernauer – CEO of microreactor company Radiant – and Dr. Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Nuclear Energy.

From energizing the country’s data centers to propelling the electric vehicles on our roads or powering the factories crafting tomorrow’s innovations, they discuss why expanding our nuclear capacity is a national imperative.

Stay tuned for more exclusive conversations from a16z’s second annual American Dynamism Summit in Washington DC.

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The a16z Podcast discusses the most important ideas within technology with the people building it. Each episode aims to put listeners ahead of the curve, covering topics like AI, energy, genomics, space, and more.

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