TLDR
- X-Energy stock gained 4.8% in after-hours trading Tuesday after a Bloomberg report confirmed its inclusion in a Trump administration nuclear program
- The $200 million federal initiative aims to fast-track nuclear reactor development to power AI data centers
- Microsoft and Nvidia are also part of the program alongside X-Energy and Oklo
- Sector peer Oklo rose 6.31% to $46.50 after-hours on the same news
- The U.S. Department of Energy was set to formally announce the program Wednesday
X-Energy stock jumped 7.22% to $16.79 in after-hours trading Tuesday after Bloomberg reported the company is joining a Trump administration-backed $200 million federal program to accelerate nuclear reactor development for AI data centers.
X-Energy, Inc. Class A Common Stock, XE
Peer company Oklo climbed 6.31% to $46.50 in the same session on the identical catalyst. The broader market offered little help, with Wall Street futures drifting lower Tuesday evening.
The program is being led by the U.S. Department of Energy, which was set to formally unveil it Wednesday. Bloomberg cited a document it reviewed confirming X-Energy and Oklo’s participation.
BREAKING: The Trump administration is preparing to launch a $200M initiative with Oklo, X-energy, Microsoft and NVIDIA to help scale the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors for data centers, Bloomberg reports.
— Atoms Not Bits (@AtomsNotBits) July 21, 2026
The initiative goes beyond just the two nuclear companies. Microsoft and Nvidia are also part of the program, putting two of the biggest names in AI alongside advanced reactor developers in a single government-backed effort.
A portion of the $200 million in funding is also earmarked for DOE national laboratories and leading academic institutions. That multi-stakeholder structure has drawn attention from Wall Street analysts, several of whom already carry Buy ratings on X-Energy with price targets well above current levels.
Why Nuclear for AI?
Nuclear power has become an increasingly attractive answer to the electricity problem created by the AI boom. Data centers require large amounts of consistent, around-the-clock power, and nuclear delivers baseload generation without direct carbon emissions.
That combination has pushed tech companies toward nuclear deals at a rapid pace, from contracts to restart existing plants to growing investment in small modular reactor technology.
X-Energy’s Xe-100 small modular reactor is at the center of its pipeline and stands to benefit directly from a program designed to speed up deployment timelines.
The AI Power Crunch
The $200 million program was reportedly designed to address mounting concern that the data center buildout fueling AI has pushed up electricity prices across the country.
By pulling in companies like Microsoft and Nvidia alongside reactor developers, the administration is signaling it views nuclear as a core part of solving that infrastructure problem â not a niche alternative.
The formal DOE announcement was expected Wednesday, which kept investor focus squarely on X-Energy as a direct beneficiary heading into the session.
At the time of reporting, X-Energy was up 7.22% at $16.79 in after-hours, while Oklo was up 6.31% at $46.50. Wall Street analysts with existing Buy ratings cited the Xe-100 pipeline as a structural tailwind in the context of government-accelerated nuclear deployment.
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