Julia DeWahl of Antares on building nuclear reactors for the US military
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Podcast Summary
Julia DeWahl, cofounder of Antares, discusses her company's development of nuclear micro-reactors for military and critical infrastructure applications. (00:00) Drawing from her experience at Opendoor and SpaceX, DeWahl explains how customer obsession and deep technical inquiry shaped her approach to building Antares. (00:18) The conversation covers the dramatic shift in nuclear sentiment over the past decade, bipartisan regulatory reforms, and why AI hyperscalers are driving renewed interest in nuclear power. DeWahl also explores energy futures, supply chain challenges, and the path to bringing micro-reactors to market by 2027.
- Main Theme: The nuclear renaissance driven by energy resilience needs, regulatory reform, and the "premium power" market where customers will pay above-market rates for clean, reliable electricity
Speakers
Julia DeWahl
Julia DeWahl is the cofounder of Antares, a company developing nuclear micro-reactors for the US military and critical infrastructure. She previously worked as an early employee at Opendoor and later joined SpaceX to lead business operations for Starlink as it transitioned from R&D to go-to-market. DeWahl brings experience in customer-focused product development and scaling hard tech solutions to her current role building next-generation nuclear technology.
Key Takeaways
Customer Obsession Drives Product Success
DeWahl emphasizes the critical importance of understanding customers deeply, sharing how at Opendoor they sat outside bagel shops to interview homebuyers about their processes. (00:28) At SpaceX, inviting first Starlink customers to an all-hands revealed painful setup experiences that led to developing mounting solutions. This customer-first approach directly informs Antares' focus on military energy resilience needs, demonstrating that even in highly technical fields, customer understanding remains paramount for building successful products.
Focus on Premium Power Markets First
DeWahl advocates targeting markets where customers will pay above-market rates for power, rather than competing on pure cost. (08:56) Military applications represent the perfect beachhead because they prioritize mission assurance over cost optimization. Similarly, hyperscalers like Google and Microsoft are willing to pay premium rates for clean, reliable 24/7 power to meet carbon commitments. This strategy allows nuclear companies to establish market presence before cost curves improve enough for broader commercial adoption.
Apply the "Five Whys" Culture for Technical Excellence
Drawing from SpaceX's confrontational culture, DeWahl emphasizes the importance of pausing to probe deeply when uncertain about technical decisions. (29:18) This approach involves stopping meetings to thoroughly hash out problems and question assumptions until reaching the right answer. The practice of relentless technical inquiry helps teams make better decisions, change course when needed, and avoid costly mistakes in hardware development where iteration is expensive.
Regulatory Environment Has Dramatically Improved
Contrary to popular perception, nuclear regulation has seen significant bipartisan reform in recent years. (15:15) The NRC's mandate changed from pure safety focus to considering broader environmental and civilization benefits, reducing the incentive to approve zero reactors. New pathways through the DOE allow reactor testing without full NRC approval, and 18-month licensing timelines provide regulatory certainty. These changes create a clearer path to market than ever before.
Energy Diversity Provides Strategic Resilience
While solar costs continue declining, achieving true 24/7 clean power coverage requires massive battery buildouts and complex grid integration that approaches nuclear costs. (20:13) DeWahl argues for energy source diversity, noting that hyperscalers committed to climate targets are choosing nuclear alongside renewables. This diversity strategy provides protection against supply chain vulnerabilities and geopolitical risks, similar to how France's 70% nuclear strategy provided energy independence.
Statistics & Facts
- Nuclear provides 18% of US electricity, much higher than most people realize who often guess below 5%. (23:09) This statistic surprised DeWahl herself when she first got into the nuclear space, highlighting how underappreciated nuclear's current contribution is to the American energy mix.
- The US was importing about 50% of its uranium from Russia and ex-Soviet states, with only 1% of nuclear fuel being domestically mined in recent years. (25:21) This reveals significant supply chain vulnerabilities that recent reshoring efforts are beginning to address.
- Public support for nuclear has increased by approximately 17 percentage points over the past 5-10 years, reaching over 60% approval. (13:15) This dramatic shift in public sentiment represents one of the most significant changes in energy policy opinion in recent decades.
