Deep Fission

Gigawatt-scale power doesn't require gigawatt-scale reactors.

The Gravity™ Nuclear Reactor's modular design means total power scales by adding more boreholes, each with its own reactor, targeting up to ~15 MWe per unit.

A cluster of 100 boreholes could produce roughly 1.5 GWe. That's around the size of a single large reactor unit at a conventional nuclear plant. It's also roughly the scale of some of the largest AI data center campuses being built today, or, enough to meet the average electricity needs of over 1 million U.S. homes.

Our flexible approach lets us adjust the number of reactors to site-specific demand. That's how Deep Fission aims to deliver gigawatt-scale power to the grid.

How can advanced nuclear developers partner with Washington to turn first-of-a-kind reactors into fleets?

Yesterday in D.C., Deep Fission met with officials from the White House, including the National Security Council, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

CEO and Co-Founder Liz Muller, COO Michael Brasel and Senior Director of Government Relations Megan Williams led conversations on how federal financing can de-risk early deployments and help the industry reach nth-of-a-kind scale.

That evening, Deep Fission hosted a Nuclear Policy Dinner with STATION DC, where Liz moderated a panel on "Moving the Dial on U.S. Nuclear Commercialization." The discussion focused on what it takes to go beyond demonstrating and announcing nuclear projects to selling, financing and building them.

Conversations like these help bring more commercial-scale nuclear power to the grid and move the U.S. closer to U.S. Department of Energy goal of quadrupling nuclear capacity to 400 GW by 2050.

Thank you to Parsons High School and Parsons Middle School for inviting Deep Fission staff to talk about STEM careers and the different paths into the energy sector.

Earlier this month, team members Dustin Cluck, Jordan Duling, Jason Pottorf, Justin Pottorf and Tara Mays shared their experience, answered questions and, hopefully, inspired a few more students to pursue energy-related coursework and degree programs.

STEM jobs are projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035, more than twice the rate for all occupations, and the median STEM salary of $106,360 is more than double that of non-STEM jobs. In nuclear specifically, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) analysis found the country would need roughly 375,000 more nuclear workers to triple nuclear capacity by 2050, and the federal goal is now to quadruple it.

Deep Fission is proud to help shine a light on these opportunities for students in Parsons.

"We aren't inventing new nuclear physics or new drilling technology," writes Deep Fission CEO and Co-Founder Liz Muller in her latest piece.

"We're prioritizing deployment innovation over reactor invention, integrating proven expertise, discipline by discipline, with a goal of delivering firm, commercial power from a mile underground."

Visit the link in comments to read the full article.

Our technology and evaluation process are designed to be adaptable to a range of geological and environmental conditions, not built around a single site.

We conduct geological surveys, site characterization studies, drilling evaluations, and engineering analyses to better understand local subsurface conditions and inform borehole design, drilling methods, and site suitability assessments. Seismic analysis is part of that same process, with site suitability assessments considering applicable seismic conditions, geology, structural integrity requirements, and regulatory standards.

But site evaluation also goes beyond the technical. We approach every community as a genuine partner and seek out those eager to work together to build what's next for their community's energy future. This is ongoing work, grounded in transparent communication and real dialogue — not a one-time conversation.

From Parsons, Kansas, to potential future sites in Texas, Utah, and beyond, our approach adapts to each site's unique geology, while our commitment to genuine community partnership stays the same.

"While the components of Deep Fission's model aren't novel, combining them is," writes Vanessa Bates Ramirez in a piece for New Scientist.

"The company says its design will not only work, but improve safety and reduce costs compared with conventional nuclear power projects.

Putting the reactor 1600 metres underground means the surrounding rock will serve as a built-in containment structure, and the weight of the water column above will create a pressure of 160 atmospheres — high enough to keep water in liquid form at ultra-high temperatures and eliminating the need for a pressuriser that is a necessary component of ground surface reactors."

Visit the link in comments to read the full article.

Today we announced a collaboration with Youngquist Brothers to advance and test methods for constructing large-diameter, deep boreholes for Deep Fission's underground deployment model.

Youngquist has been drilling large-diameter boreholes since 1971, to depths of more than 8,000 feet.

"Working with an established commercial driller lets us advance the drilling side of our approach using equipment and expertise that already exist in the field, rather than starting from scratch," said Liz Muller, CEO and Co-Founder of Deep Fission.

On September 3, our teams completed a related equipment demonstration in Fort Myers, Florida, lowering our 30-inch full-size prototype reactor canister into a 34-inch borehole to a depth of approximately 100 feet, then retrieving it. The demonstration focused on installation and retrieval mechanics, distinct from the full-depth drilling work intended to be covered by the collaboration.

"What Deep Fission requires for its nuclear application is the same discipline we've always applied," said Harvey Youngquist, CEO of Youngquist Brothers.

Visit the link in comments to learn more

Meet Meghan Hutchinson. 👋

She's Deep Fission's Emergency Planning Licensing Engineer, focused on emergency preparedness for our communities.

"In simple terms, I make sure that in the highly unlikely event that something goes wrong, there is already a detailed plan to protect the public and responders. Think of our underground reactor as a carefully regulated and engineered car. My job is designing the seatbelts, airbags, and emergency response playbook. I work closely with regulators, local officials, and first responders to demonstrate how our technology is designed to keep communities safe across a wide range of scenarios."

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐞𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 ⚛️
"I wish people knew just how much unmatched rigor, redundancy, and defense-in-depth goes into every layer of this industry. We hold nuclear to a higher safety standard than virtually any other sector in the world. Add next-generation passive designs to that obsessive safety culture, and the actual risk profile is extraordinarily small compared to the immense benefits of abundant, clean power for our communities."

Many of the systems built around a traditional reactor exist to manage risks that come from being on the surface.

Power outages that could disable cooling. Structures built to withstand external hazards. Exposure pathways between the plant and the public. These are surface problems, managed with massive and complex surface infrastructure.

The Gravity™ Nuclear Reactor starts a mile down instead. That separation from the surface biosphere reduces potential exposure pathways and limits the impact of external hazards.

That protection doesn't rely on one layer. The water column gives the reactor pressure balance and emergency core cooling. The surrounding geology adds a mile of distance between the core and the surface. The engineered well, cased the whole way down, adds a third layer in between.

At Deep Fission, physics and geology do the jobs other reactors demand of the costly, complex infrastructure built around them.

"We're publishing our full NSDA because we think the public deserves to see the actual safety case behind this reactor, not just our word that DOE reviewed one," said Liz Muller, CEO and Co-Founder of Deep Fission.

"A project with this kind of ambition should be built in the open, and we hope more of the industry joins us in doing that."

The NSDA establishes the safety framework that will guide continued development of the reactor. It reflects the agreement reached between DOE and Deep Fission on applicable design requirements, the planned safety analysis approach, and the regulatory engagement process that will govern the project.

Public release of the document isn't required; Deep Fission is choosing to publish it to give the public direct visibility into the safety framework behind its approach as development evolves.

Visit the link in comments to learn more.