Oklo Enters Strategic Collaborations with Hexium and TerraPower to Launch New Pathway for Domestic HALEU Enrichment

Oklo (NYSE: OKLO), an advanced nuclear technology company, announced strategic collaborations with Hexium, a pioneering isotope enrichment company, and TerraPower, a nuclear innovation company, with the goal of ultimately accelerating domestic production of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) at industry leading cost targets. As part of this effort, the three companies are collaborating with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to evaluate the potential of Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS), a robust legacy technology that offers one of the most promising paths to commercial-scale enrichment of reactor-grade uranium. The strategic partnership will assess how modern technologies, systems, and processes can unlock AVLIS’s potential as an industrial scale uranium enrichment technology to fuel the nuclear renaissance. Independent benchmarking will be provided by MPR Associates, recognized experts in nuclear engineering and enrichment systems, to compare performance against leading enrichment technologies. This collaboration addresses a critically urgent bottleneck in deploying advanced nuclear reactors in the United States.

Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation in the lab (Image Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)

With more than a dozen advanced reactor designs progressing toward deployment, the lack of a domestic commercial HALEU supply is widely seen as the most pressing obstacle to scaling the next generation of nuclear energy in the United States. HALEU enables more compact and efficient reactor designs and the US Department of Energy (DOE) projects a need for up to 40 metric tons annually by the early 2030s. Presently, there is no sustained domestic production capable of meeting this demand. Reliance on foreign sources poses U.S. energy security risks, as only ~700kgs have been produced domestically since 2023. This collaboration provides a strategic alternative: a rapidly scalable, proven, and clean domestic enrichment pathway that aligns with the DOE’s mission to quadruple nuclear power in the United States by 2050. The strategic project aligns with the DOE’s broader efforts to reindustrialize the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain, reduce geopolitical risk, and strengthen long-term energy resilience.

This initiative brings together a diverse set of capabilities. Hexium contributes next-generation laser enrichment technology and deep technical expertise in isotope separation. Oklo contributes a deployment-focused reactor pipeline along with leadership in the fuel cycle and engineered real-world systems. TerraPower brings decades of experience in nuclear innovation and industrial-scale deployment, helping position AVLIS for long-term integration into the national fuel ecosystem. Together, the collaborating parties are jointly funding and guiding research and development to deliver a validated conceptual design and technoeconomic assessment of AVLIS-based HALEU production. This coordinated effort is critical to moving breakthrough technologies like AVLIS from the lab into commercial deployment with a focus on domestic production, regulatory readiness, and the technological advancement necessary to make advanced nuclear power a part of America’s energy future.

“This collaboration goes beyond just fuel and is about building the next generation of American nuclear infrastructure,” said Charlie Jarrott, co-founder and CEO of Hexium. “By aligning breakthrough enrichment technology with real-world reactor demand from Oklo and TerraPower and the expertise of our national laboratories, we’re advancing a solution that’s compact, scalable, and energy-efficient. A validated AVLIS design for HALEU over the next year won’t just accelerate deployment of advanced reactors but will strengthen U.S. energy security and reestablish leadership in nuclear fuel innovation.”

“Building a secure domestic fuel supply is a national priority. This effort supports the U.S. goal of expanding HALEU production through innovative technologies and private-sector partnerships,” said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo. “This is about building U.S. leadership in fuel technology, and laser enrichment has the potential to be a flexible, scalable option for HALEU, and a strategic asset for the U.S. fuel supply chain.”

“TerraPower has been committed to advancing the domestic HALEU supply chain through investments on multiple fronts, and we are excited about Hexium’s efforts to bring enrichment technology research from our national laboratories into the commercial space and glad to be a collaborator on this study,” said Jeff Miller, TerraPower’s Vice President of Business Development.

Unlike traditional centrifuge-based approaches, AVLIS uses finely tuned lasers to selectively ionize uranium isotopes, enabling enrichment with greater precision and energy efficiency. Additionally, its compact design requires no chemical conversion to uranium hexafluoride, thus simplifying the system level enrichment process and reducing both infrastructure complexity, process cost, and chemical handling requirements. When ready for industrial scaling, this will allow faster deployments and support scalable, parallel production. While AVLIS has been demonstrated at large-scale pilot stages in the past, this initiative marks a renewed effort to commercialize the technology and deploy it as a scalable U.S.-based enrichment pathway that supports current policy, energy security and advanced reactor goals.

The project aligns with recent DOE initiatives and federal executive actions focused on accelerating deployment of advanced reactors and revitalizing America’s nuclear fuel infrastructure. As the U.S. advances toward a cleaner and more secure energy future, a reliable supply of advanced nuclear fuel will be essential to unlocking innovation, attracting investment, and ensuring long-term energy resilience. This strategic collaboration represents a unified effort to address one of the most critical infrastructure challenges in the energy transition by advancing a commercially scalable HALEU enrichment pathway. This initiative lays the foundation for renewed American leadership in energy, national security, and industrial innovation while directly supporting efforts to strengthen energy security, reduce reliance on foreign sources, and rebuild a resilient domestic nuclear supply chain.

Oklo I https://oklo.com/overview/default.aspx

Hexium | www.hexium.us

TerraPower | terrapower.com