The reactor race has begun
A push by the Trump administration to accelerate nuclear reactor development has led to recent breakthroughs in Idaho. Deployable Energy's Unity reactor achieved initial criticality on July 1, 2026, meeting a presidential deadline. The effort focuses on advanced reactor designs and small modular reactors to modernize power generation.
What changed
Deployable Energy successfully brought its Unity demonstration reactor to criticality at Idaho National Laboratory.
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US Nuclear Race Hits Criticality Milestone
confidence 90%A push by the Trump administration to accelerate nuclear reactor development has led to recent breakthroughs in Idaho. Deployable Energy's Unity reactor achieved initial criticality on July 1, 2026, meeting a presidential deadline. The effort focuses on advanced reactor designs and small modular reactors to modernize power generation.
What's confirmed:
- Deployable Energy's Unity demonstration reactor achieved initial criticality at Idaho National Laboratory on July 1, 2026.
- The Trump administration set a goal for at least three advanced reactor concepts to achieve criticality by July 4, 2026.
- The NRC finalized the Part 53 licensing framework to reduce costs and accelerate reactor deployment.
- The DOE's Reactor Pilot Program supports private industry innovation in fourth-generation nuclear fission technology.
Still unconfirmed:
- Some critics worry that safety is being compromised by the rush to test new reactor designs.
- A startup brought a new reactor design to criticality on June 4, nine months ahead of a presidential deadline.
- The US built a reactor that cools itself without pumps or water using 400 sealed tubes.
- A company founded by Bill Gates bid to build mini-nuclear reactors in Britain.