New nuclear tool deployed to speed reactor development, cut search time by 80%

US nuclear technology firm NuScale Power is deploying nuclear-specific AI tools to help engineers find and use technical information faster as it moves its small modular reactor technology toward deployment. The initiative brings together NuScale’s nuclear engineering expertise with Nuclearn’s AtomAssist platform and NPX’s experience in nuclear projects and technology implementation. The tools are designed to search through engineering information, licensing evidence, technical standards and other controlled material. NuScale said an initial proof of concept showed the tools could reduce the time needed to find relevant information by as much as 80%. The system is also designed to surface engineering methods and standards relevant to a particular task. The goal is not simply to speed up document searches. In a heavily regulated industry, engineers need to know where information comes from and whether it can be trusted before using it in design, licensing, or project decisions. Nuclear data gets faster access “NuScale is building a transformative deployment model to integrate NuScale Power Modules™ (NPMs) into nuclear power plants in the near-term, which requires executing with speed, precision, and confidence,” said Dr. José Reyes, Chief Technology Officer of NuScale Power. “This partnership with Nuclearn and NPX will equip our teams with the right purpose-built AI tools – grounded in our extensive proprietary knowledge –to work more efficiently while maintaining the highest safety and quality standards.” The tools are being built around nuclear-specific terminology and workflows rather than treating nuclear engineering like a general information-search problem. That distinction matters because technical documents can contain information tied to specific designs, regulations and safety requirements. Nuclearn said its platform can connect answers to the original controlled sources, allowing engineers to trace information back to the material used to generate it. “AI is only as valuable as the knowledge it can be trusted to deliver,” said Jerrold Vincent, CFO and Co-Founder of Nuclearn. “In a highly regulated, safety-critical industry like nuclear, every answer must be grounded in controlled engineering and licensing information.” The partnership comes as NuScale works to advance its small modular reactor technology from design toward deployment. Its NuScale Power Module is a pressurized water reactor designed to generate 77 megawatts of electricity per module. Smaller reactors need smarter workflows NuScale says its modules can be combined in different configurations, with an array of up to 12 modules capable of producing as much as 924 MW of electricity. Managing the engineering and regulatory information behind such projects can become increasingly difficult as designs progress. The company is therefore using the new tools to reduce the time engineers spend locating information and increase the speed at which they can apply it. “Across Canada, the United States, and the global nuclear market, new nuclear projects face the same challenge: how to move faster without compromising quality, safety, or regulatory discipline,” said Joshua Bell, Director, NPX US. “NuScale is taking a practical step the rest of the industry can learn from.” For NuScale, the technology is being positioned as an engineering and knowledge-management tool rather than a replacement for nuclear professionals. The company says the system is intended to help teams work with existing technical knowledge while maintaining traceability and regulatory discipline.The approach could become increasingly important as nuclear developers handle larger volumes of engineering, licensing and project information while attempting to shorten development timelines.Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.With over a decade-long career in journalism, Neetika Walter has worked with The Economic Times, ANI, and Hindustan Times, covering politics, business, technology, and the clean energy sector. Passionate about contemporary culture, books, poetry, and storytelling, she brings depth and insight to her writing. When she isn’t chasing stories, she’s likely lost in a book or enjoying the company of her dogs.