A renowned nuclear energy research lab joined forces with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enhance the nuclear industry through artificial intelligence. The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) partnered with AWS and will leverage the company’s cloud infrastructure and advanced AI capabilities.
Their collaboration aims to develop “sophisticated” tools to streamline and enhance nuclear energy projects.
Autonomous Nuclear Reactors Powered by AI
INL is on the front lines of integrating AI into the nuclear energy industry. According to the press release, researchers have developed a suite of technologies that focus on reducing costs and timelines in the nuclear field. Ultimately, their vision is to make operating actors safer, more reliable, and potentially autonomous.
AWS has robust computing power and access to AI models through Amazon Bedrock. Researchers say this is instrumental to advancing their initiatives.
Explore Tomorrow's World From Your Inbox
Get the latest science, technology, and sustainability content delivered to your inbox.
I understand that by providing my email address, I agree to receive emails from Tomorrow's World Today. I understand that I may opt out of receiving such communications at any time.
“Our collaboration with Amazon Web Services marks a significant leap forward in integrating advanced AI technologies into our nuclear energy research and development initiatives,” said INL Director John Wagner. “This collaboration underscores the critical role of linking the nation’s nuclear energy laboratory with AWS. By leveraging AWS’s cutting-edge cloud computing and AI solutions, we can accelerate nuclear energy deployment for America.”
INL leaders explain that AWS provides resources essential to scaling nuclear energy AI.
“Through this collaboration with AWS, we have access to AI models, GPUs (graphical processing units), and specialized cloud services, including Amazon’s Bedrock service, which will enable INL researchers to use many leading foundation models to build nuclear energy applications,” said Chris Ritter, division director of Scientific Computing and AI at INL.
A key project for researchers is developing digital twins for small modular reactors (SMRs), which produce 20 to 300 megawatts of electricity. The digital twins are essential for gathering near-real-time data through a virtual replica of a reactor. Digital twin technology is a major step towards autonomous operation.
David Appel, vice president of U.S. Federal and Global National Security and Defense for AWS, said, “AWS’s powerful AI and computing technology will support Idaho National Laboratory’s development of autonomous nuclear reactors to pioneer a future where civilian nuclear operations are safer, smarter, and more responsive.”
