US-based Oklo has acquired ARMEC, an Oak Ridge, Tennessee-based precision manufacturing and mechanical engineering firm. This strategic transaction is designed to bring critical production capabilities in-house, accelerating Oklo’s commercialisation timeline for its reactor and nuclear fuel-manufacturing programmes.
While the specific financial terms of the deal were not publicly disclosed, Oklo noted that ARMEC was a free-cash-flow-positive business during its most recent fiscal year. Bringing fabrication and mechanical engineering under one roof allows Oklo to close the feedback loop between its design teams and production floor, improving execution speed. By producing highly specialised hardware in-house, Oklo minimises its reliance on external suppliers and mitigates broader macroeconomic supply bottlenecks.
Direct control over prototyping, testing, and component manufacturing streamlines workflows required to transition from advanced design to physical facility deployment. The transaction integrates a specialised workforce of roughly 40 engineers, machinists, welders, and technical personnel possessing over two decades of nuclear-industry experience.
ARMEC, founded in 2002, specialises in high-precision machining, custom prototyping, component fabrication, rigorous inspection planning, and procurement support, and has supported advanced energy, R&D, and defence initiatives, notably manufacturing components for the international ITER fusion project in France.
ARMEC had been collaborating with Oklo’s engineers before the acquisition, helping refine critical nozzle manufacturing processes and quality assurance procedures. To safeguard technical know-how and ensure customer continuity, ARMEC’s existing leadership team will remain in place. The entity will continue operating out of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with Oklo committing to further investments in the local workforce and community.
“Advanced nuclear deployment requires manufacturing depth,” said Oklo CEO and co-founder Jacob DeWitte. “ARMEC strengthens Oklo’s capabilities by expanding practical engineering, fabrication, inspection, and procurement. We plan to continue to invest in the local workforce and community to ensure ARMEC’s success and given Oak Ridge’s importance to us and the nuclear industry.”
“We have built ARMEC around practical execution, technical quality, and close customer collaboration,” said ARMEC President Travis Reagan. “Joining Oklo gives our team the opportunity to apply that experience to one of the most important challenges in energy: building the manufacturing foundation needed to support advanced nuclear deployment. We are excited to bring our capabilities, supplier relationships, and Oak Ridge–based team into Oklo as we continue supporting customers and expanding the role our work can play in the nuclear supply chain.”
Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse is a sodium-cooled fast reactor that uses metal fuel and builds on the design and operating heritage of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II), which ran in Idaho from 1964 to 1994. In March, Oklo signed a US Department of Energy (DOE) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to support the design, construction, and operation its Aurora powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) under DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program (RPP).
After the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) initially denied Oklo’s first application in 2022 due to lack of technical data, the company pivoted to DOE’s RRP. This allows Oklo to build and test its first reactor at INL under DOE oversight, which is faster than the traditional NRC commercial licensing route. The Aurora-INL is supported by Oklo’s broader Idaho work, such as the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility (A3F) at INL, which will fabricate the first fuel assemblies for the Aurora-INL.
