Oklo vs X-Energy: Who Produces Nuclear Power First?

The race between Oklo and X-Energy highlights a bottleneck for AI growth: electricity. Data centers need massive power, and nuclear reactors offer a steady, carbon-free source. Oklo's advantage is its pilot program status, which fast-tracks licensing and testing, allowing it to break ground and target 2028. This gives it a concrete timeline and potential early revenue.

X-Energy's path through standard NRC licensing is slower but yields a full commercial operating license, which could ease scaling to multiple reactors. While Oklo might win the first-mover race, X-Energy's approach could be better for building a fleet to meet the huge demand from thousands of data centers expected by 2028.

The author's preference for Oklo stems from the immediate revenue and operational experience a working reactor provides, which can be reinvested into faster future deployments. However, the final outcome remains uncertain until both companies reach their milestones.