In the 38th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous welcome lab teammate Matt Player to map the real bottlenecks behind America’s proposed fourfold nuclear buildout. They set the context for why this study exists and what would count as proof that the goal is more than a slogan. Then they dig into the industrial choke point of heavy forgings for reactor pressure vessels, who actually makes them, how heat treatment and certification shape the pace, and why geography and geopolitics matter. Along the way they sketch paths to go faster, from program standardization and a stronger domestic industrial base to small modular reactors and a continuous workforce pipeline, and they close by teeing up part two on the fuel cycle. Tune in for a concept-first tour of supply chains, institutions, and what it would take to turn ambition into steel.