BREAKING: @AntaresNuclear has secured a $470M Series C after achieving criticality with its Mark-0 reactor. The startup is developing nuclear microreactors for the U.S. Air Force. Paradigm and Caffeinated Capital co-led the round.

Daily Hard Tech Headlines: - @PsiQuantum has secured a $125 million agreement with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to expand testing of its approach to building a utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer. The company remains one of only two participants in Stage C, the final phase of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. - @terraindustries, an African defense and critical infrastructure security startup, has launched Kama, an autonomous interceptor drone built to counter weaponized commercial drones. The company plans to produce the system at its Abuja and Accra factories. - @_Andrenam_ has secured an $18 million Series A. The Los Angeles startup develops sonar systems for maritime security, with the round led by Upfront Ventures. - @Saronic has partnered with Samsung Heavy Industries to scale autonomous ship production in the United States, focusing on robotic shipyard automation and high-throughput manufacturing. - Hokkaido Spaceport’s Launch Complex 1, a new Japanese orbital launch site, is nearing completion. - Northrop Grumman has launched its Mission Robotic Vehicle aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, enabling the inspection of satellites in orbit using two robotic arms and the installation of propulsion modules to extend their operational lives. - Bahrain is exploring the development of its first small modular nuclear power plant. - The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has launched a Drone as First Responder program using systems provided by Paladin. - MOBY Robotics, an ocean intelligence startup, has secured a commercial contract to map the seabed in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone using deep-ocean robotic systems. The customer was not disclosed. - United States Marine Corps tested forward manufacturing capabilities in Okinawa during Valiant Shield 26, including circuit-board repair, metal restoration, hybrid manufacturing, and 3D printing while in transit. - @vast, the Long Beach space infrastructure startup, has launched a national security division focused on space-based capabilities for the DOW and intelligence community. Melanie Stricklan will lead the division. - Babcock International Group, ACUA Ocean and Frankenburg Technologies are teaming up to develop a maritime C-UAS system combining Acua’s unmanned surface vessel, Babcock’s launcher and Frankenburg’s precision-guided interceptor missiles. - Cooperative Ventures, backed by two of North America’s largest agricultural cooperatives, has invested in OpenTug, which develops software for the inland barge networks that move grain, fertilizer, and other bulk commodities across the United States. - Simon Shuham, the former head of product at Exowatt, has launched a Denver-based stealth startup developing high-efficiency systems that convert stranded waste heat into electricity. - Canadian Strategic Missions Corporation (CSMC) secured a $4.5 million investment from the Canadian government to support the scaling of small nuclear technology for the Arctic.

BREAKING: @Saronic has partnered with Samsung Heavy Industries to scale autonomous ship production in the United States, focusing on robotic shipyard automation and high-throughput manufacturing. The partnership brings South Korean shipbuilding expertise into U.S. shipyards.

BREAKING: Uber founder @travisk says his new company, Atoms, is deploying autonomous mining technology at the world’s largest iron ore mine deep in the Brazilian Amazon and at a phosphate mine near the Iraq–Saudi Arabia border. Shared on @tbpn.

Exclusive Interview: Inside @RoboStrategy, the first publicly listed investment company dedicated to backing leading private robotics companies. For years, robots have felt like they were always almost here. Scott Walter, PhD, @GoingBallistic5 who has spent more than 40 years in robotics, believes that may finally be changing. We discuss why deployment has historically been so difficult, and why the next wave will likely begin in factories, logistics centers, hotels, and other commercial environments before reaching the home.

America must stockpile compute for the new era of national security. Armada just secured $230M to help build that compute stockpile, developing modular edge data centers for critical infrastructure and remote environments. U.S. Navy ships, oil rigs, remote mines, manufacturing facilities, and critical infrastructure sites are becoming the front lines of data generation, where 75% of data is now being generated. Our interview with Armada CEO @danwrightSF breaks down the rise of hyperscaler infrastructure at the edge and why decentralized compute is becoming one of the most important strategic assets.