Carolyn DiPaoloAmpera plans to hire thousands of employees to develop prototypes for microreactors.
Energy startup Ampera has announced plans to develop and manufacture compact nuclear reactors in Palm Beach County.
Why it matters: The company is opening its headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens and intends to hire 2,500 people over the next five years to work on its prototype for the microreactor systems.
- The devices could power AI data centers, remote communities and defense operations, the company said.
What’s happening: Ampera will operate from buildings totaling nearly 100,000 square feet at 354 and 358 Hiatt Drive in the Gardens Innovation Center at PGA National Commerce Park, the company and the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County announced just before New Year’s.
- Kenneth Kahn’s LRP Properties owns both buildings.
- The announcements made no mention of taxpayer incentives to draw Ampera.
Catch up quick: In November, Ampera made public its plans to build a sealed microreactor that requires no refueling, produces no long-lived waste, and delivers power in a compact, deployable package.
In June, Super Micro Computer, a Fortune 500 cloud computer company and AI data center supplier, paid $6 million for an 11% stake in Ampera, Bisnow first reported. The San Jose, Calif.-based company reported in federal records that it holds one seat on the three-member Ampera board of directors.
What they’re saying: “There is strong demand worldwide for ultra-safe, nuclear reactors that are easily transportable and able to deliver clean, consistent power for decades without having to be refueled,” Ampera founder and CEO Brian Matthews said in a statement.
Matthews is a British entrepreneur and physicist who also leads Additec, a 10-year-old high-tech metal manufacturer based in Palm City.
What’s next: Ampera said it plans to hire its first 100 employees by the end of the year.
I am a co-founder, writer and editor for Stet News. I am also a former senior editor at The Palm Beach Post. For 20 years, I oversaw some of the most consequential stories published by the paper, including the “Corruption County” reporting project that led to multiple arrests of elected officials. I am a member of the Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2013. I live in West Palm Beach with my husband, Bill DiPaolo.
