Bill Gates

Bill Gates' nuclear bet is the longest-running thesis in modern climate tech. TerraPower, founded 2008, is finally building its first sodium-cooled fast reactor in Wyoming with 2030+ commercial target. The 17-year build-up is a reminder that energy plays operate on a different clock than software.

Gates' patient capital is what makes TerraPower possible — VC timelines would have killed the company years ago. The Kemmerer WY plant is the most important advanced nuclear construction project in the West. If it operates successfully by decade-end, it unlocks dozens of replicate-the-template deals.