Aalo-X Reactor Reaches First Criticality
On July 7 at 5:00 PM, Aalo Atomics achieved first criticality at its experimental Aalo-X reactor, meeting and surpassing the requirements set by U.S. Presidential Executive Order No. 14301. Built in under eight months, the reactor demonstrates the company's rapid progress from founding to operation in less than three years. The fuel for Aalo-X was supplied by GE Vernova's Global Nuclear Fuel division.
Company's Future Plans
The Aalo-X launch exceeded the executive order’s target of bringing at least three innovative reactors to critical power. The tested reactor features a full-scale active core and validates nuclear component performance for future 10 MW units. These units are planned to be combined into modular Aalo Pod systems with a total capacity of 50 MW, designed to power data centers supporting artificial intelligence workloads.
Aalo Atomics leadership expressed gratitude to the U.S. Department of Energy and partners for their support in realizing this project.
“Achieving criticality is just the beginning of a large-scale mission to provide clean, stable energy to the data center industry,” company representatives stated.
In other developments, Aalo Atomics has begun work on a second reactor for the commercial Ascension system, to be located at the Aalo-X campus within Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The Ascension facility is slated for launch in 2027 and will begin powering a local data center. The company continues to scale its operations, relocating to a new 93,000-square-meter facility—a sign of its ambitious future plans.
Aalo-X’s criticality milestone marks a significant step forward for U.S. nuclear technology, with potential to reshape the energy sector amid rising demand from AI-driven data centers. The development of modular Aalo Pod systems could set a new standard for powering such facilities, highlighting industry adaptation to modern challenges. The company’s subsequent plans for a second reactor underscore its commitment to innovation and capacity expansion, opening new partnership opportunities in the energy field.
As Aalo Atomics advances its nuclear technology, the company is not alone in this innovative journey. Recently, fuel for another groundbreaking reactor, the Kaleidos, has been delivered to the U.S. for testing, showcasing the growing momentum in the nuclear sector. This parallel development further emphasizes the industry's shift towards sustainable energy solutions. For more details on this exciting project, read about the arrival of fuel for the Kaleidos reactor.