Overview
- An alliance announced Thursday between Oklo, Nvidia, and Los Alamos National Laboratory to use AI in nuclear R&D lifted Oklo stock 15.65% to $72.41, with gains extending in pre-market trading to about $78.
- HSBC began coverage with a Buy rating and a $96 price target, while other targets span $14 to $168, reflecting debate over execution risk, costs, and timelines.
- The partnership will build physics-based AI models and digital replicas of reactors to validate plutonium-bearing fuel for Oklo’s Pluto design, linking the work to the federal Genesis Mission and DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program.
- Oklo says it holds roughly $2.5 billion in cash with no debt, has Department of Energy approval for the Aurora powerhouse’s safety design, and is targeting first reactor criticality in 2026 with commercial power by late 2027.
- The company is developing power for AI data centers, including a plan to provide about 150 megawatts around 2030 for a Meta campus, a strategy that could ease grid constraints but will require heavy upfront spending.