The Nuclear Scaling Initiative: What to know

A recent $3.5 million philanthropic commitment from the Bezos Earth Fund to the Nuclear Scaling Initiative has put a spotlight on the organization. As the NSI enters its third year with a new cash infusion, now is the perfect time to explore its history, mission, and progress so far.

Involved partners: The NSI was founded in October 2024 through a philanthropic gift of $5 million from Joe Gebbia-the cofounder of Airbnb who also worked for the Department of Government Efficiency in 2025-and Isabella Boemeke, a social media influencer focused on the promotion of nuclear. Gebbia and Boemeke also established a $5 million matching fund to incentivize further philanthropic support.

The NSI is a partnership among three independent nonprofits: the Clean Air Task Force (CATF), the Energy Futures Initiatives Foundation (EFIF), and the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).

• Founded in 1996, the CATF is based in Boston, Mass. The 135-person organization works to manage climate change by spurring the advancement of low-emissions energy technologies.
• The EFIF builds on the similarly named Energy Futures Initiative, which was founded in 2017 by former energy secretary Ernest J. Moniz. The EFIF's more than 25 staffers work to support the clean energy transition through public reports on various technologies that are often paired with policy recommendations.
• The NTI defines itself as a "global security organization focused on reducing nuclear, biological, and emerging technology threats imperiling humanity." Founded in 2001, the NTI collaborates with governments and organizations to raise awareness and implement solutions to these threats.

The NSI is led by a steering committee cochaired by leaders from each of these organizations. Along with Moniz, the steering committee includes Christine E. Wormuth (former secretary of the army and CEO of the NTI) and Armond Cohen (executive director of the CATF). The remainder of the NSI team also draws on the staffs of the CATF, the EFIF, and the NTI.

The mission: The announcement of the NSI's founding described it as a collaborative effort "to catalyze and build a new nuclear energy ecosystem to scale to 50 or more gigawatts of clean, safe, and secure nuclear power per year by the 2030s, a tenfold increase of the current deployment rate."

To better reach that goal, the NSI founded a global advisory board to provide expertise and strategic guidance to the organization in support of its mission. That board is led by former U.S. secretary of state John Kerry and includes an impressive list of former and current leaders from the NRC, WNA, IEA, Southern Company, CIA, ENEC, Rolls-Royce, and more.

The progress so far: Since its formation, the NSI has published a number of relatively brief reports on a variety of nuclear topics, including expanding the fuel cycle, strengthening Poland's nuclear plans, and-perhaps most notably-laying the groundwork for its strategy. In that strategy report, the organization detailed that, through 2026, it will focus on expanding nuclear in the U.S. and central and eastern Europe.

This expansion is being pursued through a five-step strategy:

• The formation of buyers' clubs, regional groups of demand-side stakeholders who will represent "durable demand" for nuclear projects.
• The assembly of order books, firm commitments from these buyers' clubs to build multiple units of a particular design.
• Informing technology selection, helping the buyers' clubs choose the most suitable reactor designs for their orderbooks.
• Advocating for cohesive and efficient regulatory frameworks, collaborating with regulators to expedite review processes without compromising safety.
• Enabling a stronger industry through broader work in promoting the fuel supply chain, a skilled workforce, and more.

Bezos funding: The $3.5 million from the Bezos Earth Fund will directly support the NSI's effort to facilitate an order book for "new large reactor builds of mature design" in the U.S. Using this grant, the NSI will "support a coordinated, multiparty process among federal, state, and commercial partners" to develop that order book.

"An order book can create the predictability needed to strengthen supply chains, grow a skilled workforce, and reduce the delays and cost overruns that have historically slowed progress," explained NSI executive director Steve Comello.