​The Texas Nuclear Alliance returns to SxSW for our third annual NxTX gathering - following NxTX 2025 and 2024 - with this year focusing on the intersection of energy and compute.

​AI-driven data center growth is creating a step change in electricity demand. U.S. data centers accounted for roughly 4.4% of total electricity consumption in 2023, and multiple analyses project that share could double or even triple by the end of the decade, driven in large part by AI workloads.

​The question isn't whether we need more energy—it's where it will come from. Nuclear is emerging as the answer, and Nuclear x Texas 2026 brings together the stakeholders shaping that transition.

​2:00 PM - Registration

​2:15 PM - Scott Charter, Director of AI Strategy, Oracle + Gilbert Traverse - Director, Office of Technology & Innovation, Oracle

​3:15 PM - Texas Tech University System Chancellor Brandon Creighton + Stephan Fabel, Senior Director of Infrastructure Systems & Software, NVIDIA

​4:00 PM - Jarred Shaffer, Director, Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office

​4:35 PM - Vib Altekar, Co-founder & CTO, Saronic

​5:15 PM - Networking Happy Hour

​Speakers

​Scott Charter - Director of AI Strategy, Oracle

​Scott Charter has spent over 30 years in the IT industry, including business development roles with data service providers, as well as co-founding several IT start-ups that were acquired by larger firms.  His current focus includes leading AI enablement sessions with Oracle sales teams and partners.  Simplifying complex technical concepts into plain language is a large part of this role. Scott holds a JD from University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, and a bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University. 

​Gilbert Traverse - Director, Office of Technology & Innovation, Oracle

​Gilbert Traverse has been a thought leader and Emerging Tech evangelist in Oracle’s North America Apps division since 2017. He leads the Office of Technology & Innovation as well the North America Emerging Technology Community of Practice. In addition to Emerging Technology, Gilbert is a cyber security and data privacy expert and earned his CISSP certification in 2018.  Gilbert holds a B.S. in Management and Economics from Ashland University and a Master's in Strategic Studies & Cyberwarfare from the University of Texas at El Paso.

​Brandon Creighton- Chancellor, Texas Tech University System

​Brandon Creighton serves as Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, where he leads a five-university system focused on expanding research, academic excellence, and economic impact across Texas. An eighth-generation Texan from Conroe, Creighton previously served in the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives, where he chaired the Senate Committee on Education K–16 and led major education and higher-education reforms, including the creation of the Texas University Fund to expand research capacity at emerging universities. Before his legislative career, he worked in the Texas and Oklahoma Attorneys General offices and later built a career as an attorney and real estate developer. As chancellor, he oversees a system serving more than 65,000 students and advancing innovation, workforce development, and opportunity across the state.

​Stephan Fabel - Senior Director of Infrastructure Systems & Software, NVIDIA

​Stephan Fabel is a technology and product leader with more than 25 years of experience in cloud computing, AI infrastructure, and enterprise software development. He currently serves as Senior Director of DGX Cloud at NVIDIA, where he helped launch and scale the company’s DGX Cloud platform to deliver high-performance AI computing to organizations around the world. Prior to NVIDIA, Stephen held leadership roles at Canonical and Mirantis focused on cloud architecture, product strategy, and global technical teams, and earlier led OpenStack data center operations at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology from the Technical University of Munich.

​Jarred Shaffer - Director of the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office (TANEO)

​Jarred Shaffer was appointed Director of the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office (TANEO) by Governor Greg Abbott on September 18, 2025. Prior to his appointment, he served as a Budget and Policy Advisor to Governor Abbott on electricity and energy issues. In his current role, Shaffer’s office is tasked with providing strategic leadership to support advanced nuclear project development within Texas and administering the $350 million Texas Advanced Nuclear Development Fund—the largest state-level fund of its kind in the nation—to incentivize the development of the nuclear energy industry in Texas. 

​Vib Altekar - Saronic Co-Founder & CTO

​Vib Altekar is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Saronic Technologies. Vib is a highly accomplished perception engineer, with expertise in the field of autonomous systems and maritime technology. He has spent a large part of his career in industry driving advancements in U.S. Department of War technology. As one of the earliest engineers at Anduril, he led engineering efforts across multiple programs including the Royal Australian Navy's Ghost Shark drone submarine. His other career highlights include software engineering at Twitter, Juicero, and 8VC.  In addition to software, Vib provides meaningful thought leadership at Saronic, and invaluable strategic vision for its technological advancements. Outside of Saronic, he seeks opportunities to give back to the entrepreneur community, often through angel investing, advisorship, or teaching classes. Vib studied electrical engineering at the University of California, Davis. In his free time, Vib likes to play poker, basketball, and cricket.

​About Texas Nuclear Alliance

​TNA is the only industry association in Texas dedicated to the advancement of nuclear technology in the state. Formed in 2022 in the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, and comprising of over 70 member entities today, TNA is based on the fundamental premise that if Texas and the world want low-carbon, reliable energy, it can no longer turn its back on nuclear energy. TNA was formed with a singular mission: to make Texas the Nuclear Capital of the World. Nuclear is clean, safe, reliable, and secure.

​In the 89th Texas Legislature, TNA helped pass four nuclear-dedicated bills, including House Bill 14, a $350 million investment by the state in nuclear energy—the largest of its kind in the U.S—that led to the creation of the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office (TANEO).

​Our flagship Texas Nuclear Summit 2025 hosted 700+ attendees and featured keynotes from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Former U.S. Secretary of Energy & Texas Governor Rick Perry, Constellation CFO Dan Eggers, Vistra Chief Nuclear Officer Ken Peters, NEI President Maria Korsnick, NuScale CEO John Hopkins, Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar, PUC Chairman Thomas Gleeson, and many more.

​NxTX is our compact, high-signal event during SXSW, uniting influential figures in energy and technology with Texas decision-makers.