CE-Ventures backs US nuclear startup: CE-Ventures, the venture capital arm of Sharjah-based Crescent Enterprises (CE), joined a USD 100 mn Series B funding round for US-based nuclear firm Aalo Atomics, according to a press release. The round was led by US-based Valor Equity Partners, with participation from Fine Structure Ventures, Hitachi Ventures, Crosscut Ventures, and others.

Where the money is going: Aalo will use the funds to build its first modular nuclear power plant, aiming to reach zero-power criticality by July 2026. The demonstration unit, named Aalo-X, will be paired with an experimental data center to test nuclear reactors directly powering AI infrastructure — a first-of-its-kind trial.

Aalo? Founded in 2022, the firm develops modular reactors designed for mass production and faster deployment than conventional plants. A primary focus is proving its modular reactors to power data centers, the press release says. It was recently selected by the US Energy Department’s Reactor Pilot Program, which accelerates testing of next-generation nuclear technologies.

In context: Nuclear energy is currently back in favor in the US, with President Donald Trump recently signing orders to expedite the construction of nuclear power stations.

The investment adds to CE-Ventures’ portfolio spanning fintech, enterprise software, digital health, climate solutions, and frontier technologies such as AI, and comes as global electricity demand from AI-optimized data centers is projected to quadruple by 2030, according to the IEA. It co-led a USD 10 mn seed round in US-based biotech firm CrossBridge Bio last year. Its parent Crescent Enterprises manages 57 subsidiaries and affiliates across 19 countries.

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