NuCube Energy Joins Halliburton Labs to Accelerate Breakthrough Nuclear Reactor Technology
NuCube Energy, Inc. (“NuCube” or “the Company”), a pioneering developer of advanced nuclear energy technologies, has been selected to join the Halliburton Labs ecosystem — a key milestone that positions the company to accelerate the development and deployment of its high-temperature fission reactor. As part of the partnership, Halliburton Labs has made a strategic investment in NuCube, further affirming the potential impact of its innovation on the future of clean, scalable, and reliable energy.
Founded with the mission to revolutionize nuclear energy for both electricity generation and industrial heat, NuCube has engineered a modular fission reactor that sets new performance benchmarks in temperature, efficiency, and deployment flexibility. Capable of producing thermal energy at temperatures as high as 1,100 degrees Celsius, the NuCube reactor is uniquely positioned to serve high-temperature industrial processes—an area where most nuclear systems fall short and where natural gas has traditionally dominated.
With this remarkable technical capability, NuCube’s reactor stands out as the only nuclear system that can viably compete with fossil fuels in industrial heating applications. In addition to its industrial applications, the system generates cost-competitive electricity and operates independently from the traditional power grid, enabling deployment in remote or off-grid locations, industrial parks, microgrids, and areas with limited grid infrastructure.
The inclusion of NuCube in the Halliburton Labs innovation ecosystem is a major endorsement of the company’s strategic vision and engineering prowess. Halliburton Labs, an open innovation platform launched by global energy services leader Halliburton, is dedicated to accelerating the growth of early-stage companies working at the intersection of energy and sustainability. The platform provides startups with access to Halliburton’s global supply chain, world-class facilities, deep technical expertise, and operational excellence.
“We are pleased to welcome NuCube Energy to the Halliburton Labs ecosystem,” said Andres Cabada, Managing Director of Halliburton Labs. “Nuclear is poised to play a transformative role in the global energy transition, and NuCube’s innovative reactor design positions the company to become a leader in this critical space. We are excited about their vision and look forward to supporting their progress as they move toward commercial deployment.”
NuCube’s leadership also sees the partnership as a pivotal opportunity to speed up commercialization. The company is tackling a historically persistent challenge in energy: how to deploy nuclear technologies in a way that is economically viable for microgrids and high-temperature industrial use cases. With Halliburton Labs as a strategic collaborator, NuCube gains vital access to resources that are directly aligned with these goals—particularly around supply chain optimization, remote operations, and modular reactor construction.
“At NuCube, our mission is to help our microgrid and industrial heat customers solve a critical problem: how to use nuclear energy in a way that is both economically and technically feasible,” said Dr. Cristian Rabiti, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of NuCube Energy. “The microreactor we’re developing achieves this by combining elegant design, economic viability, and extremely high operational temperatures. We’re honored to be part of the Halliburton Labs ecosystem and look forward to leveraging their expertise in modularization, logistics, and system integration to accelerate our technology’s deployment. This collaboration brings us closer to realizing a future where nuclear energy is widely adopted and contributes meaningfully to global decarbonization.”
NuCube is not just another startup; it’s an Idealab Studio company, co-founded by legendary entrepreneur Bill Gross and Dr. Rabiti, a globally recognized innovator in the field of advanced nuclear energy. Dr. Rabiti has devoted his career to pushing the boundaries of nuclear reactor design, simulation, and deployment. His work integrates decades of experience in high-performance computing, reactor safety, and modular system design.
The partnership with Halliburton Labs adds significant momentum to NuCube’s ongoing efforts to address two of the toughest energy challenges of our time: how to decarbonize hard-to-abate industrial sectors and how to expand reliable, affordable energy access to underserved and remote regions. By offering a fission system that operates at higher temperatures than nearly all existing designs, NuCube bridges a critical gap between traditional nuclear power and the demands of industrial heat applications such as hydrogen production, steel and cement manufacturing, and chemical processing.
NuCube’s modular architecture is particularly important as it enables faster construction, reduced regulatory complexity, and improved scalability. Unlike conventional nuclear reactors, which often require a decade or more to build and billions in upfront capital, NuCube’s microreactor is designed for rapid deployment, lower capital expenditure, and ease of integration into existing industrial ecosystems. The company envisions a future where clusters of its reactors can be deployed as plug-and-play energy solutions tailored to site-specific needs, helping customers reduce dependence on fossil fuels while enhancing energy resilience.
Moreover, NuCube’s microreactor design prioritizes safety and autonomy, utilizing passive cooling and self-regulating features that minimize the need for human intervention. The reactor’s core technologies are based on advanced materials and engineering techniques that improve thermal efficiency and enhance the system’s operational reliability. This makes NuCube not only an energy solution, but also an infrastructure asset capable of operating for extended periods with minimal maintenance—an essential feature for off-grid or mission-critical facilities.
Halliburton Labs’ backing of NuCube reflects a growing recognition that nuclear innovation will be essential to achieving global climate targets. While renewables like solar and wind are crucial, they are intermittent and often unable to meet the high-temperature, continuous-load requirements of heavy industry. Advanced fission technologies like NuCube’s fill that void by offering a zero-emissions, round-the-clock solution that can scale with global demand.
As the clean energy landscape continues to evolve, the collaboration between NuCube Energy and Halliburton Labs signals a bold step forward for nuclear innovation. By uniting the agility and breakthrough vision of a startup with the infrastructure and operational know-how of a global energy leader, this partnership has the potential to reshape how nuclear energy is perceived, adopted, and deployed across industries.
