The Race to Shrink Reactors and Grow Nuclear Power
When will Western countries start building small modular reactors? Rachel Slaybaugh, nuclear scientist and partner at venture capital firm DCVC, joins Zero to discuss.
The moon above Sizewell B nuclear power station, operated by Electricite de France SA (EDF), in Sizewell, UK, on Aug. 11, 2025.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/BloombergElectricity demand is soaring, and some think the answer isn’t building bigger, but smaller. That’s the idea behind small modular reactors (SMRs): shrink a large and hard-to-build reactor to something that is, in theory, more manageable, cheaper and easier to replicate.
These are early days for SMRs, with only two in commercial operation in Russia and China. Can SMRs ever become a solution for our energy needs and climate goals? Nuclear scientist and venture capitalist Rachel Slaybaugh joins Akshat Rathi on Zero to discuss.