Palantir Lands $100 Million Deal to Boost U.S. Nuclear Capacity Amid China Competition

Palantir Technologies Inc. announced a strategic product partnership with The Nuclear Company on June 26, 2025, to co-develop a new AI-driven software system aimed at revolutionizing nuclear power plant construction. The collaboration, valued at approximately $100 million over five years, seeks to address the long-standing challenges of budget overruns and project delays in the nuclear industry. This initiative is seen as a critical step in accelerating the deployment of nuclear energy in the United States.

The new system, dubbed "NOS" (Nuclear Operating System), will be built on Palantir's Foundry platform. It is designed to provide real-time, context-aware guidance to construction teams, optimize schedules, track supply chains for cost savings, and leverage AI for rapid regulatory document review. The goal is to transform nuclear construction into a data-driven, predictable process, enabling faster, safer, and more cost-efficient plant builds.

Mike Gallagher, Head of Defense at Palantir Technologies, emphasized the strategic importance of the partnership. "The future of energy security and sovereignty will be shaped by our ability to deploy advanced technologies at scale," Gallagher stated, adding that this marks the first time Palantir's software will be used to power the next generation of nuclear energy infrastructure. He highlighted the national security implications, noting that the U.S. cannot win strategic competition with China without revitalizing its nuclear technology capabilities.

The partnership comes as the United States lags behind China in nuclear development, with China announcing 10 gigawatts of new reactors annually compared to just 2 gigawatts built in the U.S. over the past three decades. Jonathan Webb, Co-founder and CEO of The Nuclear Company, underscored this urgency: "Our mission is to build nuclear power the way America once built its greatest infrastructure projects — fast, safe and at scale." He added that NOS is crucial to "break the cycle of delays" and protect America's nuclear leadership.

The development aligns with recent executive orders from President Donald J. Trump, which call for a significant expansion of U.S. nuclear capacity, targeting 400 gigawatts by 2050 and 10 large-scale reactors under construction by 2030. This push is partly driven by the immense energy demands of rapidly growing AI data centers, making reliable baseload power from nuclear energy increasingly vital for the nation's economic and technological future. The Palantir-Nuclear Company collaboration represents a significant private sector response to these national objectives.