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📢【新聞標題】
Here are the nuclear fission startups backed by Big Tech
以下是由大型科技公司支持的核分裂新創公司
📰【摘要】
Artificial intelligence has sent demand for electricity skyrocketing in the U.S. after years of virtually zero growth. That has sent Big Tech companies scrambling to secure generating capacity for their data centers. For many, that has meant turning to nuclear fission. This article highlights several nuclear fission startups, including Kairos Power, Oklo, Saltfoss, TerraPower, and X-Energy, that have received backing from major tech companies like Google, OpenAI, and Amazon.
人工智慧在美國引發了對電力需求的急劇增長，這在多年來幾乎零增長的情況下是前所未有的。這使得大型科技公司紛紛爭奪其數據中心的發電能力。對許多公司來說，這意味著轉向核分裂。本文重點介紹了幾家核分裂新創公司，包括Kairos Power、Oklo、Saltfoss、TerraPower和X-Energy，它們都獲得了Google、OpenAI和Amazon等主要科技公司的支持。
🗝️【關鍵詞彙表】
📝 nuclear fission (n.)
- 核分裂
- 例句: For many, that has meant turning to nuclear fission.
- 翻譯: 對於許多公司來說，這意味著轉向核分裂。
📝 generating capacity (n.)
- 發電容量
- 例句: That has sent Big Tech companies scrambling to secure generating capacity for their data centers.
- 翻譯: 這使得大型科技公司紛紛爭奪其數據中心的發電容量。
📝 small modular reactor (SMR) (n.)
- 小型模組化反應爐
- 例句: New small modular reactor (SMR) designs see multiple modules deployed alongside each other to meet a range of needs.
- 翻譯: 新型小型模組化反應爐（SMR）設計將多個模組並排部署，以滿足各種需求。
📝 molten salt (n.)
- 熔鹽
- 例句: The company’s small modular reactors rely on molten fluoride salt for cooling.
- 翻譯: 該公司的小型模組化反應爐依靠熔融氟鹽進行冷卻。
📝 reverse merger (n.)
- 反向併購
- 例句: Oklo went public via a reverse merger with his special purpose acquisition vehicle, AltC, in July 2023.
- 翻譯: Oklo於2023年7月透過與他的特殊目的收購公司AltC反向併購上市。
📝 data center (n.)
- 數據中心
- 例句: Google signed a deal to power data centers with nuclear micro-reactors from Kairos.
- 翻譯: 谷歌簽署了一項協議，用Kairos的核微型反應爐為數據中心供電。
📝 power barge (n.)
- 電力駁船
- 例句: It envisions placing two to eight of them on a ship to create what it calls a PowerBarge.
- 翻譯: 該公司設想將其中兩到八個放置在船上，以創建它所謂的「電力駁船」。
✍️【文法與句型】
📝 That has sent...scrambling to...
- 說明: This structure indicates that one event has caused another to act quickly and urgently.
- 翻譯: 這個結構表明一個事件導致另一個事件迅速而緊急地採取行動。
- 例句: That has sent Big Tech companies scrambling to secure generating capacity for their data centers.
- 翻譯: 這使得大型科技公司紛紛爭奪其數據中心的發電容量。
📝 rely on...to...
- 說明: This structure indicates dependence on something to achieve a certain purpose.
- 翻譯: 這個結構表明依靠某事物來實現某個目的。
- 例句: The company’s small modular reactors rely on molten fluoride salt for cooling and to transport heat to a steam turbine.
- 翻譯: 該公司的小型模組化反應爐依靠熔融氟鹽進行冷卻，並將熱量傳輸到蒸汽渦輪機。
📖【全文與翻譯】
Artificial intelligence has sent demand for electricity skyrocketing in the U.S. after years of virtually zero growth.
人工智慧在美國引發了對電力需求的急劇增長，這在多年來幾乎零增長的情況下是前所未有的。
That has sent Big Tech companies scrambling to secure generating capacity for their data centers.
這使得大型科技公司紛紛爭奪其數據中心的發電容量。
For many, that has meant turning to nuclear fission.
對許多公司來說，這意味著轉向核分裂。
The power source has been experiencing a resurgence in the last few years following decades of plant closures.
在工廠關閉數十年後，這種能源在過去幾年中正在經歷復甦。
(Fission, used in all current nuclear plants, is distinct from fusion, the still-experimental approach to getting power from atoms that, while attracting investors, has yet to produce more electricity than it consumes.)
（分裂用於所有目前的核電廠，有別於融合，這種從原子獲取能量的方法仍處於實驗階段，雖然吸引了投資者，但尚未產生比消耗更多的電力。）
For tech companies, part of the appeal of fission is a stable, predictable source of power that flows 24/7, giving their data centers the potential to run computing loads whenever they require it.
對於科技公司來說，分裂的吸引力之一是其穩定、可預測的電力來源，可以全天候不間斷地供電，使他們的數據中心能夠在需要時運行計算負載。
But another part of the appeal lies in new reactor designs that promise to overcome the shortcomings of existing nuclear power plants.
但另一個吸引力在於新型反應爐設計，這些設計有望克服現有核電廠的缺點。
Where old power plants were built around massive reactors that could generate over 1 gigawatt of electricity, new small modular reactor (SMR) designs see multiple modules deployed alongside each other to meet a range of needs.
過去的電廠是圍繞大型反應爐建造的，這些反應爐可以產生超過 1 吉瓦的電力，而新型小型模組化反應爐（SMR）設計則將多個模組並排部署，以滿足各種需求。
SMRs rely on mass manufacturing to bring costs down, but to date, no one has built one in the U.S.
SMR 依靠大規模生產來降低成本，但迄今為止，還沒有人在美國建造過 SMR。
Still, that hasn’t kept Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft away from the table.
儘管如此，這並沒有阻止亞馬遜、谷歌、Meta 和微軟參與其中。
They’ve either signed agreements to buy power from nuclear startups or invested in them directly — or both.
他們要么簽署了從核新創公司購買電力的協議，要么直接投資它們，或者兩者都有。
Here are the nuclear fission startups backed by Big Tech.
以下是由大型科技公司支持的核分裂新創公司。
KAIROS POWER
KAIROS POWER
Kairos Power received a vote of confidence from Google when the search giant promised to buy around 500 megawatts of electricity by 2035, with the first reactor targeted to come online by 2030.
Kairos Power 獲得了谷歌的信任，這家搜尋引擎巨頭承諾到 2035 年購買約 500 兆瓦的電力，首座反應爐計劃於 2030 年上線。
The company’s small modular reactors rely on molten fluoride salt for cooling and to transport heat to a steam turbine.
該公司的小型模組化反應爐依靠熔融氟鹽進行冷卻，並將熱量傳輸到蒸汽渦輪機。
The salt’s high boiling point means that the coolant doesn’t need to be kept at high pressure, which should improve operating safety.
鹽的高沸點意味著冷卻劑不需要保持在高壓下，這應有助於提高操作安全性。
The reactors contain fuel pebbles coated in carbon and ceramic shells, which should be strong enough to withstand a meltdown.
反應爐包含塗有碳和陶瓷外殼的燃料卵石，這些外殼應具有足夠的強度來承受熔毀。
The Alameda-based startup has received a $629 million award from the U.S. government, including $303 million from the Department of Energy.
這家總部位於阿拉米達的新創公司已獲得美國政府 6.29 億美元的獎勵，其中包括能源部的 3.03 億美元。
In November 2024, Kairos received approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to commence construction on two reactors in Tennessee.
2024 年 11 月，Kairos 獲得美國核能管理委員會的批准，開始在田納西州建造兩座反應爐。
At 35 megawatts, the test units will be smaller than Kairos’ eventual commercial reactors, which are expected to generate 75 megawatts each.
測試裝置的功率為 35 兆瓦，將小於 Kairos 最終的商業反應爐，預計每個反應爐將產生 75 兆瓦的功率。
OKLO
OKLO
Oklo is another SMR company targeting the data center world— no surprise given that it was backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who also took the nuclear startup public via a reverse merger with his special purpose acquisition vehicle, AltC, in July 2023.
Oklo 是另一家以數據中心為目標的 SMR 公司——鑑於它得到了 OpenAI 執行長 Sam Altman 的支持，這並不令人意外，Altman 還在 2023 年 7 月透過與他的特殊目的收購公司 AltC 反向併購的方式，使這家核新創公司上市。
Altman served as chairman of Oklo until April, when he stepped down as OpenAI began negotiating with Oklo for an energy supply agreement.
Altman 擔任 Oklo 董事長直到 4 月，當時他辭職，因為 OpenAI 開始與 Oklo 協商能源供應協議。
DCVC, Draper Associates, and Peter Thiel’s Mithril Capital Management are among the startup’s previous investors.
DCVC、Draper Associates 和 Peter Thiel 的 Mithril Capital Management 是這家新創公司之前的投資者之一。
Cooled by liquid metal, Oklo’s reactor is based on an existing U.S. Department of Energy design that’s intended to reduce the amount of nuclear waste that results from regular operations.
Oklo 的反應爐採用液態金屬冷卻，基於美國能源部現有的設計，旨在減少常規操作產生的核廢料量。
Still, Oklo’s path hasn’t been a smooth one.
儘管如此，Oklo 的道路並非一帆風順。
The company’s first license application was denied in January 2022.
該公司的第一份許可證申請於 2022 年 1 月被拒絕。
Oklo has said it will resubmit the application sometime in 2025.
Oklo 表示將在 2025 年的某個時候重新提交申請。
But that hasn’t stopped the company from landing a deal to supply data center operator Switch with 12 gigawatts by 2044.
但這並沒有阻止該公司達成協議，到 2044 年為數據中心營運商 Switch 提供 12 吉瓦的電力。
SALTFOSS
SALTFOSS
Like Kairos, Saltfoss, formerly known as Seaborg, also wants to build SMRs cooled by molten salt.
與 Kairos 一樣，Saltfoss（前身為 Seaborg）也希望建造採用熔鹽冷卻的 SMR。
But unlike Kairos and others, it envisions placing two to eight of them on a ship to create what it calls a PowerBarge.
但與 Kairos 和其他公司不同，它設想將其中兩到八個放置在船上，以創建它所謂的「電力駁船」。
The startup has raised nearly $60 million, including a $6 million seed round that included investments from Bill Gates, Peter Thiel, and Unity co-founder David Helgason, according to PitchBook.
根據 PitchBook 的數據，這家新創公司已籌集了近 6000 萬美元，其中包括 600 萬美元的種子輪融資，其中包括來自 Bill Gates、Peter Thiel 和 Unity 共同創辦人 David Helgason 的投資。
Satlfoss has an agreement with Samsung Heavy Industries to build the ships and the Satlfoss-designed reactors.
Satlfoss 與三星重工簽署了一項協議，以建造船舶和 Satlfoss 設計的反應爐。
TERRAPOWER
TERRAPOWER
Founded by Bill Gates, TerraPower is building a larger reactor, called Natrium, which is cooled by liquid sodium and features molten salt energy storage.
TerraPower 由比爾·蓋茲 (Bill Gates) 創立，正在建造一個更大的反應爐，名為 Natrium，該反應爐採用液態鈉冷卻，並具有熔鹽儲能功能。
The company broke ground on the first power plant in June 2024 in Wyoming.
該公司於 2024 年 6 月在懷俄明州的第一個發電廠破土動工。
The Natrium design calls for the reactor to generate 345 megawatts of electricity.
Natrium 的設計要求反應爐產生 345 兆瓦的電力。
That’s smaller than other new nuclear plants today but larger than most SMR designs.
這比今天其他新建的核電廠小，但比大多數 SMR 設計大。
But Natrium has a trick up its sleeve with its molten salt heat storage system.
但 Natrium 的熔鹽儲熱系統卻另有玄機。
Since nuclear reactors operate best at a steady state, the Natrium reactor can continue breaking atoms when demand is low, and the extra energy is stored as heat in a vat of molten salt, which can be drawn upon later to generate electricity.
由於核反應爐在穩定狀態下運行效果最佳，因此 Natrium 反應爐可以在需求低迷時繼續分解原子，多餘的能量以熱的形式儲存在熔鹽罐中，稍後可以用於發電。
Investors include Gates’ Cascade Investment fund, Khosla Ventures, CRV, and ArcelorMittal.
投資者包括蓋茲的 Cascade Investment 基金、Khosla Ventures、CRV 和 ArcelorMittal。
X-ENERGY
X-ENERGY
X-Energy landed a hefty $700 million Series C-1 last year led by Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund.
X-Energy 去年獲得了由亞馬遜的氣候承諾基金領投的 7 億美元 C-1 輪融資。
At the same time, the SMR startup announced two development agreements that would see the deployment of 300 megawatts of new nuclear generating capacity in the Pacific Northwest and Virginia.
與此同時，這家 SMR 新創公司宣布了兩項開發協議，將在太平洋西北地區和維吉尼亞州部署 300 兆瓦的新核能發電容量。
The company’s high-temperature, gas-cooled reactors buck recent trends in the U.S. and Europe, where the design has been shunned in favor of other approaches.
該公司的高溫氣冷式反應爐與美國和歐洲的最新趨勢背道而馳，在這些地區，這種設計因其他方法而被拋棄。
The company’s Xe-100 reactor is expected to generate 80 megawatts of electricity.
該公司的 Xe-100 反應爐預計將產生 80 兆瓦的電力。
Helium gas flows through the reactor’s 200,000 billiard ball-sized fuel “pebbles,” absorbing heat to spin a steam turbine.
氦氣流經反應爐的 20 萬個撞球大小的燃料「卵石」，吸收熱量以旋轉蒸汽渦輪機。
🔗【資料來源】
文章連結：https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/26/here-are-the-nuclear-fission-startups-backed-by-big-tech/