Aalo Atomics has revealed the first non-nuclear prototype of its Aalo-1 reactor and completed construction of a new 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas. The announcement marks a significant milestone for the two-year-old startup as it accelerates toward commercial deployment of its modular nuclear plants—called XMRs—designed to meet the growing power demands of AI data centers.
The Aalo-1 reactor is the central unit of the company’s Aalo Pod, a 50 MWe modular nuclear power plant that includes five sodium-cooled reactors using low enriched uranium fuel (LEU+). Designed with scalability and rapid deployment in mind, the Aalo Pod can be shipped using standard logistics and installed directly at data center locations, eliminating the need for external water cooling and minimizing physical footprint. The modular architecture enables fast scaling to gigawatt-level capacity, aligning with the needs of hyperscale computing infrastructure.
Aalo has reported significant momentum, including a partnership to develop up to 1 GW of nuclear capacity at Texas A&M’s RELLIS Campus, a memorandum of understanding with Idaho Falls Power to deploy seven factory-built Aalo-1 reactors, and growing interest from federal and local energy stakeholders. The company plans to break ground on its first operational reactor next year and is scaling its workforce, aiming to reach 70 employees by year-end.
• Aalo unveils non-nuclear prototype of Aalo-1 reactor and completes 40,000 sq ft (3,716 m²) manufacturing facility in Austin
• Aalo Pod combines five Aalo-1 reactors into a 50 MWe modular plant for AI data center power
• Sodium-cooled design uses readily available LEU+ fuel and does not require external water sources
• Entire plant is factory-built and shippable via standard logistics for rapid, repeatable deployment
• Partnerships include 1 GW development at Texas A&M RELLIS Campus and 75 MW project with Idaho Falls Power
• Company currently employs 40+ and targets 70 staff by end of year
“We believe that to address today’s massive data center market demand, another category of nuclear reactor is needed, one that blends the benefit of the factory manufacturing of microreactors, the power levels of SMRs, and the economic targets of a large reactor,” said Matt Loszak, CEO of Aalo Atomics.
