 | This article contains promotional content .(October 2025) |
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| NYSE: OKLO | |
| Industry | Small Modular Reactor |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products |
|
Number of employees | 100 (2024) |
| Website | oklo |
Oklo Inc. is a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) designer based in Santa Clara, California. [1] [2] Founded in 2013 by Jacob DeWitte and Caroline DeWitte, both graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the small modular reactors Oklo designs are fast reactors with a focus on providing clean, safe, and affordable energy. OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman stepped down as chairman in April 2025 [3] to "avoid a conflict of interest ahead of talks between his company and the nuclear start-up on an energy supply agreement." [4] [5]
The company's name is derived from Oklo, a region in the country of Gabon, Africa where self-sustaining nuclear fission reactions occurred approximately 1.7 billion years ago. [6]
Oklo's business model is focused on selling power to customers, and its main product line for producing power is the Aurora nuclear reactor powerhouse product line. The Aurora powerhouse is a design for a small power plant to generate 15-50 MWe of electrical power [7] via a Siemens or similar power generation system and utilizing a compact fast neutron reactor to produce heat. Fast reactors were first implemented in the 1950s, with around 20 in operation at a time, [8] demonstrating safety benefits over thermal-neutron reactors. The Aurora is intended for off-grid applications, including data centers, artificial intelligence, remote communities, industrial sites, and military bases. It is promoted as being able to operate for up to 10 years without refueling [ citation needed ].
Oklo also intends to produce radioisotopes through its nuclear fuel recycling process and fast reactor technology. [9] These radioisotopes have a wide range of applications, including medical diagnostic imaging and cancer treatment; industrial uses like non-destructive testing and process control; and energy applications including radioisotope thermoelectric generators, nuclear batteries and fusion research. [10] [11] [12]
As a liquid metal-cooled fast reactor, the Aurora powerhouse will offer several advantages regarding its operation and safety. The Aurora features strongly negative reactivity feedback coefficients that arise from the system's physics. These inherent feedback mechanisms will reduce reactor power in response to temperature excursions without requiring any operator intervention or active safety systems. This was demonstrated in the Shutdown Heat Removal Test series at the Experimental Breeder Reactor II, [13] a sodium fast reactor operated between 1964 and 1994 that inspired much of the design of the Aurora powerhouse.
Oklo's application for a combined construction and operating license for the Aurora powerhouse was initially denied by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on January 6th, 2022. [14] The NRC cited a lack of information provided by Oklo during the application process and that Oklo could re-submit in the future. Oklo plans to build its first Aurora powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory in 2027. [15] Oklo has also signed letters of intent with Diamondback Energy and Wyoming Hyperscale to provide electricity for Diamondback's Permian Basin operations and Wyoming Hyperscale's data center campus over 20-year periods. [16] [17]
The company has received venture capital from various investors, including Hydrazine Capital, founded by Sam Altman with Peter Thiel as its sole limited partner; Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz; Ron Conway of SV Angel; Kevin Efrusy of Accel Partners; and Tim Draper of Draper Associates. [18] In July 2023, it was announced that the company planned to go public via a special purpose acquisition company at a value of $850 million. [19] On May 10, 2024, Oklo merged with AltC Acquisition Corp, a SPAC founded and led by Sam Altman, receiving $306 millions in gross proceeds. [20]
In May 2025, Reuters reported that Oklo was among several advanced nuclear developers aiming to fast-track deployment at U.S. Department of Energy sites, including Idaho National Laboratory, as part of a federal initiative to power AI data centers with nuclear energy. [21] However, the "fast track" program was unsuccessful in bringing three desired experimental reactors online by July, 2026. There are a number SMR construction projects being approved and started for planned SMRs in the US, including Oklo Inc. [22] However, the first approved SMR for US operation took over 10 years to receive NRC approval. Oklo has yet to submit a final design plan for their reactor to the NRC as of 2025. Site approval or sites "under construction" should not be confused with NRC design approval. [23] In fact, several of Oklo's preliminary design proposals were rejected by the NRC in 2025. [24]