April 24 (Reuters) - X-Energy (XE.O), shares surged 30.9% in their Nasdaq debut, fetching the company a valuation of $11.9 billion and signaling strong interest in the developers of carbon-free energy that has the potential to fuel the unprecedented boom in artificial intelligence.

The Amazon-backed nuclear reactor developer raised $1.02 billion in its ‌initial public offering on Thursday by selling 44.3 million shares in its upsized offering at $23 apiece. The stock opened at $30.11.