AI-driven nuclear push targets 2x faster builds, 50% lower costs

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and NVIDIA have partnered to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors in the U.S., aiming to halve development timelines and reduce operational costs by over 50%. This collaboration, part of the Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, focuses on creating a scientific computing platform to drive energy innovation and national security. The initiative, codenamed Prometheus, employs AI tools—including generative AI models, digital twins, and agent-based workflows—to streamline the design, licensing, manufacturing, construction, and operation of nuclear reactors. By automating traditionally time-consuming engineering processes while maintaining human oversight, the partnership expects to at least double the speed of nuclear reactor deployment. Central to the effort is the use of digital twins trained on decades of nuclear data and experimental operations at INL, enabling simulation and validation of reactor systems before physical construction. NVIDIA contributes its AI infrastructure and GPU-accelerated computing to enhance nuclear simulation codes, reducing computation times and expanding modeling