IBA’s Post

🍝 Last week, Guerric had the pleasure to represent Nuketech at the SNETP Forum in Rome. He gave a snapshot of the nuclear energy startup ecosystem. Our key conclusions? ♾️ The nuclear industry is on the verge of its "Ford moment". We need to do more, faster, and with less ressources. Startups can help and they know it. We have met close to 200 startups eyeing the nuclear sector as a promising market opportunity for growth. 🤝 Permeability & cross-fertilisation. We need to multiply the exchanges between the nuclear industry and other high-end sectors (e.g. maritime, security, oil & gas). These are already leveraging on startups with a certain degree of tech maturity and commercial traction. This talk was part of a panel on the bankability of SMRs, moderated by Jozef Sobolewski, PhD MBA and shared with Jan Prasil, Fabrice Legendre, and Sandro Baldi. Many thanks to them, and to Marc Schyns for the invitation. PS: and, of course, many thanks Kiki Lauwers for the pictures!

Best invest in Building and talking about Fusion power, space, and maritime propulsion systems and industry as data centres are. You talk about Nuclear (meaning Fission) and fail to discuss fusion. https://lnkd.in/ge_aeX7M The nuclear fission industry is, ignorant of what's happening around you. Pull your uranium heads out, start adjusting your industry to fusion energy and start preparing to enter the commercially growing fusion energy industry. As it dawns on Earth like the sun. Great Headline Guardian on Nuclear fission. https://lnkd.in/g8sMZtpR Fission is moving towards obsolescence at an accelerated pace, as it is "out of step, out of time, out of place," and merely a temporary industry globally. https://lnkd.in/gbd_mZqk By 2028, Helion is expected to start producing electricity from its first fusion commercial power plant, which will provide electricity to Microsoft. The plant will produce at least 50 MWe after an initial ramp-up period. https://lnkd.in/gY9J3MQY Now see what is happening in the Fusion industry in the world. https://lnkd.in/g9hMBD7a As fission trebles, fuel shortage is increasingly real,

A huge congratulations to OpenStar Technologies for reaching a major milestone in fusion energy development- plasma creation! Their plasma breakthrough marks an exciting step toward harnessing this powerful, clean energy source to meet the growing demands of AI and tech. As global tech giants, including Amazon, Google and Meta make substantial investments in nuclear energy solutions to fuel AI, OpenStar’s progress showcases New Zealand’s role in advancing sustainable energy on the world stage. This isn’t just about innovation—it's about positioning New Zealand as a leader in solving the energy challenges of tomorrow. At Magnetic, its the aspiration of innovators such as OpenStar that inspire us to support pioneering companies that are tackling the world’s most pressing problems - one great mind at a time. #FutureOfWork #SustainableEnergy #AI #NuclearFusion #OpenStar #TechInnovation #NZTech #BeMagnetic Troy Kat OneStaff Magnetic Personnel Resources https://lnkd.in/ghsae9z5

What does it take to revolutionise the struggling nuclear industry? Vision, innovation, a leader - and the ability to flip between MIT classrooms and global consortiums. 🗣️ In short, someone like Faris Fakhry who is building his startup, "Irradia", as part of our Post-Idea Fellowship. 🔬 Even before attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Faris was already invited to sit on the board of the Advanced Nuclear Experts Consortium (ANPEG) alongside global pioneers in the industry. Still in his early 20s, Faris is also a consultant with multiple funds including Lowercarbon Capital where he advises investors on fission and fusion related deal-flow. 🚀 These roles, of course, drive Faris’ vision at Irradia. Over the last 15 years, 4 out of 5 of the largest nuclear test facilities have either become shut down or their use heavily restricted. Despite a resurgence in both public and private market interest in nuclear energy, the industry is unable to capitalise on this momentum due to limited capacity for testing new nuclear tech. 🧪 With Irradia, Faris serves to fill the supply gap and deliver irradiation test services at a fraction of the cost that they have traditionally been provided at. True visionaries, of course, are more than technical experts. They are also ringleaders, and Faris is no different. As well as technology co-development with a strategic nuclear company with ~$800m in financing, Faris has established a world-class founding team. 🏅 This team includes the Director of MIT's Nuclear Test Reactor Laboratory, the ex-SVP of Engineering at Bill Gates' TerraPower, and his scientific advisory board headed by the CTO of the world’s largest remaining test reactor. Unsurprisingly, Faris’ impact is already widely recognised. Notably, he has delivered talks at Princeton University, FUSION24 and ClimateImpact this year. ❗️𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭? 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞. Hence, it's quite hard to do justice to Faris’ potential. Regardless, we are confident that he will reach huge heights. #EWOR #nuclear #startup #deeptech

💡 Three nuclear energy innovation news this week! 👉 Subscribe to this news feed: https://lnkd.in/e2dNgfyT 🔵 ITOCHU Corporation and SoftBank (JP) invest in Blue Laser Fusion (US). The startup is headed by Shuji Nakamura, who won the 2014 Nobel Prize in physics for the development of the blue light-emitting diode. Their approach involves MJ laser pulse intensification on proton & boron-11 pellets within a vacuum, aiming for a commercial launch in 2030. 🌘 Ask for the moon (FR) closes a € 2.5m round with Matterwave Ventures and UI Investissement. The startup is developping an AI-powered cogenerative knowledge platform. It is already deployed in the nuclear sector with key accounts such as Framatome and SPIE Nucléaire. The funds will be used to scale-up with 40 new employees, half of whom will be solely dedicated to R&D, while expanding to Scandinavia and Germany. ♻️ Orano (FR) and SHINE Technologies (US) sign a MoU to work towards a US-based pilot plant for recycling used nuclear fuel from light water reactors. The recovered material would be reused for new fuel for existing and advanced reactor design, with some radioisotoptes being used for industrial and medical applications. The objective is to have the facility operational in the early 2030s, with a capacity of 100 tons per year. 👨🎓 Paper of the week: "Environmental radiation exposure at Chornobyl has not systematically affected the genomes or chemical mutagen tolerance phenotypes of local worms", roceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). 👉 Tiny worms with simple genomes show exceptionnal resilience to radiation. 👇 Did you spot anything else? Let me me know!

✦ ENEL enters the SMALL MODULAR NUCLEAR REACTORS market through a partnership with ANSALDO and LEONARDO, intensifying competition against existing startups. ✦ The move is propelled by the GROWING DEMAND from AI DATA CENTERS, while startups in the sector struggle with challenges such as PERMIT DENIALS. ✦ These STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS highlight a collective effort to ADVANCE NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. #NuclearInnovation #EnergyMarket #TechPartnerships

🚀 The #Createc and #DigiDECOM Project: Driving Innovation in the Nuclear Industry Exciting progress! We’ve just concluded a fruitful collaboration planning session with Createc, exploring how we can apply Institute for Energy Technology's cross-disciplinary innovations from our #HADRON center to develop cutting-edge solutions. By integrating Createc’s advanced sensing and imaging technologies, we’re set to deliver breakthrough products and services for hazardous and extreme environments. This partnership highlights the profound impact DigiDECOM collaborations are having on the nuclear sector. These joint efforts are not only sparking innovation but also leading to real advancements in safety, efficiency, and technological capabilities. Stay tuned for more updates! We’ll be sharing key insights at DigiDECOM next month, where Createc will present some of our joint initiatives, including the deployment of mobile #robotics, advanced #radiation sensing, and #DigitalTwin technologies in complex environments. Together, we’re pushing the boundaries of nuclear innovation. #Collaboration #Innovation #DigiDECOM #NuclearTechnology #Nuclear Shout-out to: Mark Sharpe, Beth Thompson, Konrad Fagertun, Réka Szőke, Edvin Edvardsen, Omar Ibn El Khatab Zahra, Niels-Kristian Mark, Joachim Bratteli, István Szőke, PhD

🌍🔬Advancing Nuclear Non-Proliferation: Silver-Exchanged Zeolites for Enhanced Detection🔬🌍 We're proud to share the impactful research conducted by our colleague, Christophe Gueibe, as part of his joint PhD between CMK-Hasselt University and SCK CEN. His work addresses a critical challenge in nuclear non-proliferation: improving the sensitivity of the International Monitoring System (IMS) for detecting clandestine nuclear weapon tests. The IMS relies on ultra-sensitive stations worldwide to monitor atmospheric xenon gas (radioxenon) for signs of nuclear tests. However, emissions from medical isotope production facilities contribute to a high background level of radioxenon, complicating the detection of illicit activities. Christophe's research focuses on evaluating the real-world potential of more efficient porous materials to address this challenge. ❗Key Achievements: ➡ Breakthrough with Silver-Exchanged Zeolites: Christophe's research demonstrated that Ag-ZSM-5 and Ag-ETS-10 zeolites are up to 200 times more efficient at trapping xenon compared to traditional adsorbents like activated carbon. These materials will offer a significant reduction in radioxenon emissions from medical isotope facilities. ➡ Radiation Resistance: Extensive testing showed that these zeolites can withstand radiation doses equivalent to hundreds of hours of operation without losing their xenon adsorption capabilities, paving the way for their potential use in real-world applications. ➡ Sustainability: The zeolites can be reused at least 40 times without any loss in performance, highlighting their potential as sustainable materials. This research represents a collaborative effort, guided by Prof. Dr. Sonja Schreurs at UHasselt and Prof. Dr. Johan Camps at SCK CEN, with contributions from international partners. These advancements not only improve our capability to monitor nuclear activities but also enhance environmental sustainability by reducing emissions. ✏ Publications: ➡ Initial findings: https://lnkd.in/eYh49akZ ➡ Latest publication: https://lnkd.in/eNDPhhBV Congratulations, Christophe, on this work that strengthens global nuclear security! #PhDResearch #NuclearNonProliferation #UHasselt #SCKCEN #Innovation #CMK

🚀 Revolutionizing Power: A Tiny Nuclear Battery with HUGE Potential! 🚀 Imagine a power source smaller than a coin, yet 8,000 times more efficient than before. 🔋💡 This breakthrough from Soochow University researchers transforms typically discarded americium into a miniature nuclear battery that’s poised to power sensors in extreme environments—from deep-sea depths to outer space! 🌊🚀 Instead of traditional reactions, this innovation uses the decay of americium to generate electricity, offering a stable and efficient energy source for remote applications. Embedded in a polymer crystal, the battery even glows green as it works, powering devices for decades. 🟢✨ 📈 Though still in development, this invention marks a leap in clean, small-scale energy, aligning with the transition toward sustainable solutions. This is a must-watch for anyone interested in nuclear energy, advanced materials, and the future of sustainable tech! 🌎 Learn more about this exciting development: #Innovation #NuclearBattery #CleanEnergy #SustainableTech #FutureOfEnergy #Americium #SoochowUniversity #TechBreakthrough https://lnkd.in/eiYaTgzh

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐍𝐮𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 & 𝐀𝐈 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐔𝐊𝐀𝐄𝐀 The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is spearheading the development of a Nuclear Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI) cluster across Cumbria and Oxfordshire. This initiative, supported by a £22 million investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, is part of a broader effort to stimulate regional economic growth through innovation. The cluster will focus on accelerating the decommissioning of legacy nuclear fission facilities, keeping workers safe from hazardous environments. It will connect academia, industry, and the supply chain to create commercial opportunities, foster start-ups, and establish the UK as a global leader in nuclear innovation—a $1 trillion industry. Impact Goals: 🤖 Create 200 business opportunities 🤖 Establish 10 spin-out companies 🤖 Generate 200 new jobs 🤖 Engage 5,000 people through events 🤖 Deliver 25 licensing deals 🤖 Leverage £22.5 million in additional funding The program, involving universities in Cumbria, Oxford, and Manchester, will enhance local research capabilities and position the University of Cumbria as a leader in RAI technology. This initiative is expected to drive long-term economic benefits, skills development, and innovation across the UK. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eKKRgK8d