The U.S. has ambitious plans to triple the capacity of its nuclear power plants by 2050, but that goal might hit a roadblock if plant operators can’t buy fuel at reasonable prices. Prices for yellowcake, a form of unrefined uranium, are up 75% in the last five years, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Across the country, Americans are debating how their lives might change if new AI data centers are built in their backyards. Data center companies and their customers are promising new jobs and economic growth, but that pitch hasn’t won over a majority of Americans who oppose data center construction in their area, often over environmental
Fusion power is getting back to its roots. As fusion startups keep chasing their ultimate goal — putting electrons on the grid — many are also now embracing, or returning to, the defense applications that laid the foundation for the industry. The sector emerged decades ago when physicists looked for more constructive uses of the
Sometimes founders search high and low for the right startup idea, while other times it comes to them. Federico Felici and Jonas Buchli are two of the lucky ones. Over and over again, they heard the same thing from fusion companies: “We would ideally buy many of the components to make our our control system,
The Builders Stage is returning to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, bringing together founders, startup operators, and investors for practical conversations on what it takes to build and scale successful companies. Hear from startup and venture leaders shaping the tech ecosystem, including Grant Lee, CEO and co-founder of Gamma; Leah Solivan, founder and general partner at Precedent.vc; Robby Stein, VP of
A combination of severe heat and little rain has left many of Europe’s rivers drier than normal this summer, revealing formerly submerged relics and blind spots in the continent’s supply chain. The two rivers at the center of the crisis are the Danube and the Rhine. Both serve as major arteries for shipping and freight
