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Business Wire
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Wire
Top Engineer from Microsoft, Tesla Joins The Nuclear Company to Lead Software Division
COLUMBIA, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Nuclear Company, which is leading fleet-scale deployment of nuclear power across America and pioneering the modernization of nuclear construction, today announced the hiring of Microsoft and Tesla engineering veteran Owen Lloyd as Vice President, Software Engineering. Lloyd spent more than 16 years at Microsoft, where, as Senior Director of Engineering, he oversaw the expansive team of engineers developing software for the heralded Surface line of laptops and tablets. He also worked closely with large suppliers including Intel and Qualcomm, bringing strong experience with complex supply chains like those involved in nuclear construction. Despite the need for nuclear's firm, clean baseload power, the biggest challenges facing the industry, which creates high-paying head-of-household jobs, are that nuclear projects are almost always over budget and behind schedule. Lloyd will lead a team of AI/ML software engineers, data scientists and product specialists to develop a pioneering construction platform that will employ cutting-edge digital technologies, such as AI-driven site selection, real-time construction updates, and integrated supply chain logistics. This approach will pair with advanced construction and manufacturing methods to ensure The Nuclear Company builds on time and on budget, as it deploys its first 6-gigawatt fleet of nuclear reactors across America using proven, already licensed reactor technology and a design-once, build-many methodology. 'The world's largest technology companies rely on nuclear and its firm, clean baseload energy to power their AI data centers,' said The Nuclear Company Chief Nuclear Officer Joe Klecha, who was tasked with taking over the building of Vogtle units 3 and 4 in the midst of the ongoing project. The two reactors are the only ones started and built in America in the past three decades. 'Just as these tech giants need nuclear, the nuclear industry needs to utilize the advanced technology they have developed.' Lloyd also brings leadership experience from Tesla, where his engineering team shipped major in-vehicle software updates bi-weekly. Among his work was helping launch the company's Model 3 vehicle. He also held leadership roles at LG, where he improved software platforms for smart televisions, and Salesforce, where his responsibilities included upgraded sales cloud features for workers in the field. 'I've seen firsthand as a leader at some of the world's largest companies how vital nuclear is to powering economic expansion and technology innovation,' Lloyd said. 'I was drawn to The Nuclear Company because of its technology-first approach, as well as my drive to solve the most complex challenges and building nuclear reactors is among humanity's most impressive feats.' About The Nuclear Company The Nuclear Company is pioneering the modernization of nuclear construction and leading fleet-scale deployment of nuclear power across America. By integrating proven, licensed reactor technologies with digital innovation and its design-once, build-many methodology, the company aims to reduce costs and shorten development timelines. This approach leverages AI-powered real-time construction monitoring and advanced project management to streamline deployment and ensure on-time, on-budget delivery. The Nuclear Company is committed to delivering safe baseload electricity at the lowest cost, while catalyzing the nuclear industry toward rapid development in America and globally. For more information, visit:
Epoch Times
03-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Small Reactor Innovations Spur Global Interest in Nuclear Energy
Few 'This shift has been long overdue,' said William Magwood, director-general of the 'The numbers have been telling us for years that nuclear was going to play a substantial role if we were going to meet the objective many countries have set for themselves, to reduce CO2 emissions,' he said. Speaking during a Center for Strategic & International Studies' But, he predicted, within five years, 'We're going to see a sort of democratization of nuclear. There's a real strong possibility you're going to see nuclear power plants in Kenya, Philippines, Indonesia, countries that really haven't had this before.' During its COP28 meeting in Dubai, 25 nations signed a pledge to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050. Related Stories 4/19/2025 4/13/2025 The $300 billion fell shy of the $1 trillion proponents initially sought, a shortfall fostered by a realization many nations are not meeting decarbonization goals or building the grid needed to accommodate increasing electricity demand. During COP29, 'countries were expected to bring plans to show how they've already reached their targets,' Magwood said, 'and many of them discovered they were not able to present plans that were going to reach the targets.' The shortfalls came as 'a bit of a shock for some policy-makers,' he said. 'But behind-the-scenes, when I visit with energy ministers and other officials in different capitals, they would admit to me they had no idea how these targets were going to be met.' The center's Energy Security Senior Fellow Jane Nakano said that, in addition to decarbonization, revived support for nuclear energy is being driven by concerns about energy security and interest in stabilizing power costs to spur economic development. 'The war in Ukraine was a game-changer because it reasserted what many countries today see as their number one objective, assuring energy security,' Magwood agreed. He said that after more than 60 years of globalization, 'Energy security had kind of disappeared from the international discussion. 'But,' Magwood added, 'it's back and it's back with a vengeance.' The shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant stands in the middle of the Susquehanna River near Middletown, Pa., on Oct. 10, Plants Run By Old-Timers There are approximately The United States is the world's largest generator and consumer of nuclear energy, with 94 nuclear reactors in 55 power plants, which the U.S. Energy Information Administration calculates generated However, most reactors were built between 1970 and 1990 and have averaged more than 40 years in service. The only new one to come online in the United States since 2016 is Vogtle's fourth reactor in Georgia, which is $16 billion over budget and six years behind schedule. This is a common scenario worldwide, Magwood and former U.S. International Atomic Energy Agency Representative Laura Holgate said, with many of the world's nuclear plants decades old. Nakano said the 'quite ambitious' goal to triple nuclear energy worldwide would require building up to 50 reactors annually. Not only is that possible, Magwood said, but it's been done. 'In the 70s and 80s, the build [rate] back in those days is just about what you would need right now to achieve a tripling by 2050,' he said, 'so it's certainly within the positive realm of the possible.' The biggest obstacles are industrial rust, Magwood said. 'The challenge is we don't have the same infrastructure we had back in the 70s and 80s,' he said. 'There are not as many companies that are building nuclear plants today. So we don't have supply chains, we don't have the personnel, we don't, in some cases, have the regulatory infrastructure to do this.' All this could be changing. Test engineer Jacob Wilcox pulls his arm out of a glove box used for processing sodium at TerraPower, a company developing and building small nuclear reactors in Everett, Wash., on Jan. 13, 2022. Elaine Thompson/AP Photo 100 Years Of Certitude Advanced reactor designs, including portable small nuclear reactors, are completing demonstrations and prototype deployments and are on the cusp of being commercially available. These new reactors can be mass-produced and 'have internalized the current state of knowledge' to bring greater efficiency at lower costs, Holgate said. 'That's different than the past,' Magwood said. 'Nuclear has always been kind of a one-off. You build one here, and you go away for 10 years. You build one there, you go away for 20 years. That's always kept them very expensive.' But with mass reactor production with standard features, costs will significantly decline and nuclear energy will grow quickly, he said. 'If you really want to see cost come down, have a big market, continuous manufacturing, and then you're really in business,' Magwood said. The Nuclear Energy Agency he leads is a component of the 38-nation Magwood said virtually all utility-scale nuclear power plants built in the next 20 years will use contemporary technologies, noting his agency is tracking more than 90 emerging nuclear technologies. He doubts more than a few will advance to demonstration stages. 'We're going to see Darwin kick into effect here. There will not be 90 technologies when the smoke clears,' he said, not venturing a guess at what 'a relatively manageable number' of feasible technologies would be. Magwood said that with mass-produced, small portable reactors likely in use within decades as plug-in systems that don't require user expertise in homes and businesses, there's concern about ensuring uniform safety and environmental standards. 'We're talking about small modular reactors that you may see in a much, much larger number of facilities than in the past,' he said. 'This is going to change the picture for the inspection community; doesn't necessarily make it technically more difficult, but it just may be a capacity issue.' Holgate said with mass production, inspections can be conducted check-list fast, citing the International Atomic Energy Agency's 'Milestones Process' as its ongoing attempt to streamline reviews, permitting, and licensing. The program is 'a very, very clear step-by-step process about, how do you go from a very limited regulatory and managerial capacity around nuclear, to be able to develop a procurement approach? The human capital? Your supply chain issues?' Magwood said many of the mostly-European members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development have extensive experience in operating nuclear power plants so his agency is offering its consultancy services to 'newcomer' nuclear energy nations. 'What the [International Atomic Energy Agency] does with the 'Milestones Process' is very important,' he said. 'What we're planning to do with countries is work on policies and economic development.' Developing collaborative, innovation-sharing relationships with 'newcomer' nuclear energy nations 'becomes massively important,' Magwood said. 'That's going to be true in the future, too,' he said. 'You're going to see these kinds of relationships [because] whenever a country makes a decision about building nuclear, that partner will be with them, holding their hand, for 100 years. So, who do you want to have this 100-year relationship with?'
