The US nuclear power sector is increasingly adopting artificial intelligence to manage aging infrastructure and address a shrinking pool of skilled personnel. Nearly all 94 operational nuclear reactors in the US now have the opportunity to integrate AI tools into their workflows.
In August, Atomic Canyon launched NIVA, a virtual assistant for the nuclear industry. Developed in collaboration with industry organizations, NIVA underwent pilot testing at Constellation Energy plants and is now available across the US nuclear fleet. The project began in 2025 with the goal of making industry knowledge as accessible as consumer AI models while ensuring data security.
The startup Nuclearn is also active in the sector, with its products currently used by over 65 partners, including NuScale Power Corp. Additionally, Microsoft and Nvidia are collaborating on an AI project to optimize the entire lifecycle of nuclear power plants, from permitting and design to construction and operation.
AI tools are primarily being deployed to manage vast amounts of documentation, such as regulatory filings and maintenance records. By utilizing vector-based models trained on millions of pages of regulatory materials and technical reports, these systems allow engineers to quickly retrieve historical data and diagnostic solutions for complex equipment.
To address security concerns, companies like Nuclearn offer localized, on-site deployments to ensure sensitive data remains within plant facilities. These AI systems operate under existing security protocols, requiring authorized access to search through internal databases, thereby balancing the need for operational efficiency with strict industry safety standards.
