Trump Administration Unveils “Project Prometheus” to Integrate AI into Nuclear Energy Development

Key Points

• The Trump Administration announced a $60 million federal funding allocation for the Prometheus project on Wednesday.
• Project Prometheus aims to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into the nuclear power design process.
• Recently public X-Energy has joined as a Tier 1 partner, committing $10 million to the initiative.
• SMR developer Oklo is also a designated partner in the project.
• Nuclear fuel manufacturer Standard Nuclear has also been named a partner.

The U.S. nuclear sector saw significant movement on Wednesday as the Trump Administration announced the recipients of 278 research projects funded through the Department of Energy’s (DoE) Genesis Mission.

A standout among these initiatives is Project Prometheus, which focuses on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for nuclear technology advancement. The project received a Phase II award of $60 million spanning three years, representing one of the largest investments in cutting-edge nuclear technology in recent decades.

The primary partners for Project Prometheus include four of the DoE’s 17 National Laboratories: Idaho, Oak Ridge, Argonne, and Sandia. Major research institutions, such as North Carolina State and Penn State, are also involved in the collaboration.

The selection of nuclear companies participating in the project holds significant implications for their respective shareholders.

Image Source: Official White House Photo by Molly Riley

Industry Leaders

The Prometheus initiative is supported by major technological leaders alongside the Idaho National Laboratory, including Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) via Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT).

Key nuclear companies involved include X-Energy (NASDAQ:XE), which serves as a Tier 1 partner. X-Energy has committed $10 million in financial support and is providing access to its Xe-100 high-temperature, gas-cooled small modular reactor (SMR) technology, TRISO-X particle fuel designs, and proprietary fabrication data. X-Energy expects this participation to accelerate its licensing, manufacturing, and operational workflows across its commercial portfolio.

While not a Tier 1 partner, SMR developer Oklo (NYSE:OKLO) is also a Prometheus partner. The company is working to integrate the Prometheus AI platform into its Multiphysics design and analysis infrastructure to streamline engineering workflows for its Aurora Powerhouse reactor system.

The startup fuel producer Standard Nuclear (NYSE:STDN) has also joined as a partner. Standard Nuclear currently operates the only industrial-scale TRISO manufacturing facilities in the United States.

Other nonpublic industry participants include TerraPower, Westinghouse Electric, and Aalo Atomics.

It is important to distinguish Project Prometheus from other ongoing industry developments, such as the “Prometheus AI supercluster” being built by Meta Platforms and Vistra Corp., or Jeff Bezos’ separate AI engineering startup, Prometheus.

Image source: Getty Images.

Investor Outlook

Oklo continues to secure positions within DoE-led initiatives, following its involvement in the Reactor Pilot Program. The company’s strategy involves collaborating with the DoE to refine projects, using those insights to support future Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing requests for its Aurora Powerhouse design.

X-Energy is poised to benefit significantly from the prestige and exposure associated with its Tier 1 status. Having already secured an NRC fuel fabrication license for its TRISO-X fuel, the company has several reactor projects in development across the U.S. and the UK that require regulatory milestones.

Standard Nuclear, a younger company with a market capitalization of approximately $1.4 billion, gains significant credibility by working alongside industry giants and government bodies. The company already holds approvals for HALEU feedstock and TRISO fuel production.

In contrast, SMR developer NuScale (NYSE:SMR) was notably absent from this round of funding, having not received DoE support since 2019.

While these project involvements provide significant momentum, the broader nuclear sector’s recovery will likely depend on more than just federal partnerships, given the recent volatility in nuclear-related stocks.

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