Nick Wingfield

Helion Energy, a nuclear fusion startup backed by Sam Altman, raised $465 million in a funding round led by Thrive Capital, valuing the company at $15.5 billion, nearly triple its $5.43 billion valuation from January 2025. The Everett, Washington-based company aims to produce electricity for data centers and other customers, though it has not yet demonstrated commercial electricity generation. The round included investors such as Alta Park Capital, Anti Fund, BoxGroup, Lux Capital, Peak XV Partners, and Bill Ford, alongside existing backers including Lightspeed Venture Partners, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and Mithril Capital.

The NSA is using Anthropic's Mythos Preview model despite the Department of Defense attempting to blacklist the AI startup from government contracts, according to Axios. The report does not specify how the NSA is deploying Mythos or the scope of its use. This creates a notable tension between DoD policy and actual NSA operations, raising questions about enforcement and coordination across defense agencies.