Digital twins aren’t only 3D models of specific goods, they try to replicate these goods digitally as close to In the US, Bill Gates’ TerraPower small modular reactor (SMR) is about to break ground in Wyoming.

Many of the hyperscalers, including Alphabet (GOOG), Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), and others have already cut deals with utilities like Constellation Energy (CEG) and NextEra Energy (NEE) to bring older nukes back online as they look for the fastest way to scale new power needs.

Even more interesting than taking older nukes out of mothballs is the growth in SMRs. These are attractive because they’re built to solve the biggest problems of the old nuclear power plants.

Instead of massive plants that also generate massive waste that has to be disposed of and can threaten massive downside risk, SMRs are modular and can provide up to 300 MW of power. Traditional plants are about 3x the size.

SMRs also use different types of coolants that make their operation safer.

Aside from Oklo (OKLO), Vistra (VST), Talen Energy (TLN), and X-Energy (XE) (which is funded by Jeff Bezos and just IPO’d), some of the bigger players aren’t yet publicly traded.

There’s also a new iteration of SMRs that are called microreactors.

This is the newest sector to arrive.

These are basically portable nukes that can be moved on tractor trailer, which makes them ideal for powering remote locations for civilian or military use. They can be brought in during emergency situations, or to help power forward bases.

They’re also getting more attention because they could even power colonies on the Moon or other spots beyond Earth.

Generally, they rely on a technology called TRISO fuel, which was initially developed in South Africa during the global tech boycott of the nation during Apartheid.

They needed an affordable fuel because importing oil and gas became very expensive, so they developed what were called pebble bed reactors.

Today, this technology has been upgraded and is now a very exciting sector that could also help power data centers, space colonies, long distance space missions, and emergency power for towns hit by natural disasters.

The biggest publicly traded players here are BXT Technologies (BXT), XE, and OKLO. Others in the space include Antares Nuclear, Radiant Industries, Westinghouse, and General Atomics.