{"id":102035,"title":"Apollo Atomics: The Modern Nuclear Company","tagline":"Compact nuclear reactors for companies that can't wait for the grid.","body":"Hey everyone 👋\n\nWe're [Assil](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aahalimi/) and [Drew](https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewwalkerrr/) — co-founders of [Apollo Atomics](https://www.apolloatomics.com).\n\n### TL;DR\n\nApollo Atomics took the pressurized water reactor technology that already powers 80% of the world's nuclear plants and flipped one part, the steam generator, to make the plant an order of magnitude smaller without compromising power. That single change turns a decade-long construction project into a factory-built machine that fits on a truck. We've built a working demonstrator, tested it, and our fuel is already critical before July 4th.\n\nWe put the whole story into just over two minutes — it's the clearest version of what we're building we've made so far: ▶️ \u003chttps://youtu.be/vy8y_t1KAK4?si=FmGF4Q7w6eFkn4No\u003e\n\n### The Problem\n\nThe existing nuclear playbook doesn't work for customers who need power now.\n\n* Gigawatt-scale nuclear takes 10+ years and \\~$20B per plant.\n* Most Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in development rely on exotic fuels, unproven coolants, or supply chains that don't exist yet.\n* Customers who need power in 2030 are being told to wait until 2035+ and hope.\n\nData centers, industrials, and utilities have demand today — and no credible nuclear option that can ship on their timeline.\n\n### Our Solution\n\nApollo builds compact pressurized water reactors — the same technology that runs \\~80% of the world's nuclear plants today. The difference is that our reactor is roughly 40x more compact, because we shrank only one component: the steam generator.\n\nWe keep everything the NRC has already licensed dozens of times — light water, low-enriched uranium, fuel, and components from existing qualified supply chains. The innovation is a single part: the steam generator.\n\nOur Compact Steam Generator (CSG) replaces the massive, hand-built steam generator at the heart of a conventional PWR with a component 20x smaller, delivering the same thermal power — pre-tested, transportable, and contracted at a fixed price. That one change is what takes a reactor from a decade-long construction project to a factory-built machine deployable in less than 24 months.\n\nOur product roadmap is three reactors, each on a truck, each for a different customer segment:\n\n* A-10 — 10 MWe\n* A-50 — 50 MWe\n* A-300 — 300 MWe\n\n### Our Ask\n\nIf any of these are you, we'd love to talk:\n\n* Data center operators and hyperscalers sourcing 24/7 firm power for 2028–2035 deployment.\n* Industrial offtakers (chemicals, refining, heavy manufacturing) needing process heat or behind-the-meter electricity.\n* Utilities evaluating SMRs for grid-connected generation.\n\n👉 Reach us at [ahalimi@apolloatomics.com](mailto:ahalimi@apolloatomics.com) and [drew@apolloatomics.com](mailto:drew@apolloatomics.com).","slug":"QXj-apollo-atomics-the-modern-nuclear-company","created_at":"2026-05-27T16:16:56.566Z","updated_at":"2026-06-20T21:52:22.521Z","total_vote_count":32,"url":"https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/QXj-apollo-atomics-the-modern-nuclear-company","share_image_url":"//bookface-static.ycombinator.com/assets/ycdc/yc-og-image-c440a0ad1dacfb86eeeb343717479cc54d256614449b4ef719977a0a451f8bc8.png","company":{"id":31503,"name":"Apollo Atomics, Inc.","slug":"apollo-atomics-inc","url":"https://apolloatomics.com/","logo":"https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/16f6645d8ad61e91c9ab2ac0538b531424aa4cb7.png","batch":"Spring 2026","industry":"Industrials","tags":[],"search_path":"https://bookface.ycombinator.com/company/31503"}}