Rockville-based X-Energy has emerged as one of the most closely watched companies in nuclear energy. Founded in 2009 by entrepreneur Kam Ghaffarian, X-Energy is developing small modular reactors alongside its own specialized nuclear fuel, positioning itself as an integrated provider for customers looking to bring new nuclear capacity online more quickly than traditional utility-led projects allow. The company’s roughly 900-person team is led by CEO Clay Sell, a former U.S. deputy secretary of energy, who has guided X-Energy through a rapid series of milestones: a first-of-its-kind federal license to manufacture its TRISO-X fuel, development agreements with major industrial and corporate customers, and a Nasdaq public debut this spring that added more than $1 billion to its reactor and fuel production pipeline. Since going public, the company has continued to expand a project pipeline that could ultimately total 11 gigawatts of power across more than 140 reactors, with identified or potential sites spanning Texas, Washington state, and the United Kingdom.

X-Energy’s growth reflects a broader pattern taking shape across the region. A Washington Business Journal article pointed to a handful of other area nuclear companies gaining traction, citing similar advantages driving the cluster’s growth: proximity to federal regulators like the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and access to a talent base blending experienced federal hands with technical talent from the region’s other innovation sectors, a combination increasingly on display in Rockville.

That talent base extends well beyond nuclear energy. Rockville has built a reputation as a landing spot for companies of several emerging technology sectors. Quantum Space, a Rockville-based developer of maneuverable spacecraft for national security and commercial orbital missions, announced plans this year to go public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company. Led by CEO and former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, the company has anchored its engineering and mission development work in Rockville while building a customer base that includes the U.S. Space Force and other national security agencies.

The city has also attracted international investment in advanced semiconductors, with Taiwanese company Galaverse establishing a presence at the Rockville Innovation Center this spring, following a cooperation agreement with the Montgomery County government focused on satellite communications and semiconductor manufacturing. And on the defense technology side, Stacato LLC, which develops secure wireless communications and augmented reality systems for military use, recently received a near $500,000 investment from TEDCO’s Cybersecurity Investment Fund to support its continued growth.

These emerging sectors are building on a foundation of the life sciences cluster Rockville has cultivated for decades: life sciences. Rockville’s Biotech Corridor is home to roughly 120 life sciences companies, about one-third of Montgomery County’s biotech and life sciences cluster, spanning more than 2 million square feet of research, lab, and biomanufacturing space.

Rockville continues to draw comparisons to some of the region’s most established innovation clusters and has positioned itself as a place where deep technical expertise, proximity to federal agencies, and early-stage capital increasingly intersect.

Read the article from Washington Business Journal: https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2026/07/02/dc-area-nuclear-tech-xenergy-blue-energy-curio.html