The US Department of Energy (DOE) has officially selected 11 advanced nuclear reactor projects as part of its Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program.

As part of the program, the DOE will support the projects to construct, operate, and achieve criticality of at least three test reactors using the DOE authorization process by July 4, 2026.

The selected companies include Aalo Atomics Inc., Antares Nuclear Inc., Atomic Alchemy Inc., Deep Fission Inc., Last Energy Inc., Oklo Inc., Natura Resources LLC, Radiant Industries Inc., Terrestrial Energy Inc., and Valar Atomics Inc.

“President Trump’s Reactor Pilot Program is a call to action,” said deputy secretary of Energy James P. Danly. “These companies aim to all safely achieve criticality by Independence Day, and DOE will do everything we can to support their efforts.”

The pilot project was announced in June, following an executive order by President Trump that reformed the process of reactor testing to expedite the time it takes for approval.

Each company will be responsible for all costs associated with designing, manufacturing, constructing, operating, and decommissioning its test reactors.

The program could have major implications for the data center sector, with at least three of the selected projects - Oklo, Last Energy, and Terrestrial Energy - having already signed supply agreements with data center companies.

Oklo, in particular, has been one of the most active names in the market. Notable deals include a non-binding Master Power Agreement signed last December with US data center developer Switch to supply up to 12GW of power through 2044.

Last April, the company reached a 500MW deal with Equinix. The following month, it signed a non-binding letter of intent with Prometheus Hyperscale for a potential PPA to supply 100 MW via one or more SMRs. It also formed partnerships with two unnamed data center operators to provide up to 750MW of power.

In addition, three more projects, namely Aalo Atomics, Valar Atomics, and Radiant, have openly stated that data centers will be a core market focus going forward.

SMRs and microreactors are smaller-scale nuclear power units that can be manufactured in factories and assembled on-site. They are designed to be scalable, incorporate advanced safety measures, and require less initial capital than conventional nuclear plants.

Despite these advantages, progress toward widespread adoption has been slow, hindered by stringent regulatory requirements, long approval timelines, financing challenges, and the need to demonstrate performance at commercial scale. Oklo, for example, has faced some issues with its initial application for a US reactor license denied by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2022 for insufficient technical detail.