The U.S. is currently in a conundrum. Power demands tied to artificial intelligence (AI) could grow roughly tenfold in the U.S. by the end of 2030, according to estimates from the Electric Power Research Institute. And yet, the U.S. power grid is aging and already strained in some regions.
How can the U.S. meet its ambitious AI development goals without either straining the grid or driving up energy prices?
Nano Nuclear Energy (NNE +6.86%) thinks it might have an answer.
Image source: Getty Images.
As an advanced nuclear company, Nano Nuclear aims to deploy small, portable reactors that can provide uninterrupted, round-the-clock power to AI data centers. The keyword there is portable. While other advanced nuclear companies, like Oklo (OKLO +3.64%) and NuScale (SMR +6.83%), are also designing small modular reactors, Nano is trying to build one that can fit on a truck. Easy deployment like this could match the speed at which tech companies are planning and building new data centers.
The problem, however, is that Nano Nuclear doesn't have regulatory approval to deploy its reactor design commercially. As a result, it generates no revenue.
NASDAQ: NNE
Key Data Points
For Nano Nuclear to turn $1,000 into $100,000 -- a 100-fold gain -- it needs to not only secure approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) but also dominate the energy sector.
With a market cap of roughly $1.8 billion today, a 100-fold gain would imply a $180 billion valuation. In today's market, that would make Nano Nuclear one of the largest energy companies by market cap.
A 100-fold gain isn't impossible, but it's unlikely to happen anytime soon. At this point, even a tenfold gain would likely require clear progress through the NRC process, concrete agreements to deploy technology at existing locations, and, of course, revenue.
That scenario is probably several years away.
As such, Nano Nuclear remains a highly speculative play on the future of energy. A $1,000 investment could yield $100,000, but it could also end up worth far less.
