Nano Nuclear Wins Air Force Contract As UK’s Starmer Touts “Golden Age Of Nuclear”

NANO Nuclear Energy, one of the handful of portable nuclear microreactor companies that will be at the forefront of energizing the AI revolution, just won a contract from AFWERX – the US Air Force’s innovation arm – to study the feasibility of deploying its KRONOS MMR microreactor at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, DC. The project would mark the first-ever nuclear microreactor at an urban US military base, a milestone with major implications for defense energy resilience, and comes at a time when there is a growing sense of panic about how the US will power itself at a time when most of all new energy infrastructure will go to powering AI data centers. 

The project, in partnership with the 11th Civil Engineering Squadron, will assess energy needs, grid risks, siting, environmental factors, and regulatory pathways, and will set the stage for accelerated rollouts of similar projects.

A few technical details: the stationary, high-temperature gas-cooled KRONOS Microreactor is designed to deliver 15 MWe, run for decades, operate autonomously during outages, and withstand cyber and physical threats. It uses TRISO fuel with passive helium cooling and can scale by combining units.

Acquired by NANO Nuclear in January 2025, the KRONOS MMR is also set for research deployment at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The company is developing additional designs, including ZEUS, ODIN, and the space-focused LOKI.

CEO James Walker called the award “another milestone for NANO Nuclear and a validation of our belief that KRONOS MMR Energy System as a leading microreactor programme,” saying it offers “resilience, safety, and carbon-free generation.”

Founder Jay Yu added: “Our KRONOS MMR is designed to protect critical missions in the most demanding environments, and this contract underscores NANO Nuclear’s emerging status as the leader in bringing microreactors to the defense ecosystem.”

This comes amid growing defense interest in microreactors, including Project Pele at Idaho National Laboratory, the ANPI program with multiple contractors, Oklo’s planned Aurora deployment in Alaska, and recent deals with Radiant Nuclear and X-energy. 

Back in May 2024, Zero Hedge was the first outlet to highlight NANO Nuclear’s close peer Oklo, which has since exploded almost 20x higher, and today alone the stock up more than $11 and trading around $92 per share, about 10x from when we first highlighted it a year ago, and more than 15x since Jim Cramer said “I can’t even look at it.”

OKLO is up 13x since Jim Cramer said “I can’t even look at it” in Sept 2024 https://t.co/sHI70eOT8v

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) July 21, 2025

 Today, NANO Nuclear may be an even higher-beta bet on microreactors – whose fate is closely tied to that of the broader AI space – as it has a similar development profile yet its short interest is double that of Oklo. Having former Energy Secretary Rick Perry as the Chairman of its executive advisory board won’t hurt either.

Meanwhile, the broader nuclear space got another boost this week after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a US-UK nuclear deal on Monday ahead of Donald Trump’s state visit, aiming to show “a golden age of nuclear” with faster approvals, new jobs, and lower bills, according to Financial Times. 

The FT reported that Starmer hopes the visit boosts Britain’s investment appeal. Downing Street said the deal will cut nuclear licensing times from 3–4 years to about 2. “Together with the US, we’re building a golden age of nuclear,” said Starmer.

US energy secretary Chris Wright – who formerly worked on the Oklo board of directors – praised Trump for “ushering in a true nuclear renaissance.” As part of the announcement, Rolls-Royce also entered the US regulatory process for small modular reactors, while Centrica and X-energy announced a reactor project in Hartlepool.

The nuclear plans are early stage, needing financing and state support, but reflect growing demand for low-carbon power. Ministers also welcomed £1.25 billion of US financial services investment, creating 1,800 UK jobs—1,000 from Bank of America in Belfast, £1.1 billion from Citigroup, plus expansions by BlackRock and S&P Global.

Zero Hedge readers may recall that it was back in April 2024 when he highlighted the coming nuclear boom in our note “The Next AI Trade.”  Since that note, some 18 months ago, nuclear and its derivatives – which was at the forefront of the various investment opportunities we highlighted for powering up America – has almost doubled… 

… and is dramatically outperformed the broader market.